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THE  PRODIGAL 


CHAPTERS  BY  MOORHOUSE,  MOODY,  SPURGEON, 
AITKEN,  TALMAGE  AND  OTHERS. 


Dead^  and  alive  again, 
Lost,  and  Found. 


Chicago; 

THE  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  COLPORTAGE  ASSOCIATION 
250  La  Salle  Avenue. 


Eastern  Depot: 
East  Northfield  Mass. 


New  York  Depot; 
112  Fifth  Avenue. 


Canadian  Depot: 
HO  Yonge  St.,  Toronto 


Copyrighted  1896,  by  The  Bible  Institute  Colportage  Associa 


CONTENTS. 


1 

f 

‘ - - J -S 

r 

DO 


> cvi 

] The  Parable, 

Choice  Thoughts  From  Many  Minds,  . 
The  Prodigal  Son, 

j D.  L.  MOODY. 

E , The  Prodigal’s  Losses, 

! HENKY  MOORHOUSE. 

The  Prodigal’s  Climax, 

( G.  H.  SPURGEON. 

1 “He  Came  to  Himself” 

; W.  HAY  AITKEN. 

The  Prodigal’s  Kesolve, 

T,  DEWITT  TALMAGE. 

[j  The  Turning  Point, 

G.  H.  SPURGEON. 

The  King  for  the  Returning  Prodigal, 

T.  DEWITT  TALMAGE. 

Beautiful  Snow,  A Poem 


5 

7 

13 

30 

40 

56 

80 

95 

113 

124 


680252 


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{Headquaeteks:  250  La  Salle  Ave.,  Chicago 
Eastern  Depot:  East  Nbrthfield,  Mass. 
Canadian  Depot:  142  Yonge  St.,  Toronto 
New  York  Depot:  112  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York 


4 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON. 

THE  PARABLE. 

A certain  man  had  two  sons. 

And  the  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father,  ‘‘  Father, 
give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me.” 

And  he  divided  unto  them  his  living. 

And  not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered 
all  together,  and  took  his  journey  into  a far  country,  and 
there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living. 

And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a mighty 
famine  in  that  land;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want.  And 
he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a citizen  of  that  country; 
and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine.  And  he 
would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the  husks  that  the 
swine  did  eat:  and  no  man  gave  unto  him. 

And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  ‘‘  How  many 
hired  servants  of  my  father’s  have  bread  enough  and  to 
spare,  and  I perish  with  hunger!  I will  arise  and  go  to 
my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him.  Father,  I have  sinned 
against  heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy 
to  be  called  thy  son:  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  serv- 
ants.” 

And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father. 

But  when  he  was  yet  a great  way  off,  his  father  saw 
him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck, 


5 


6 


THE  PRODIGAL 


and  kissed  him. 

And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Father,  I have  sinned 
against  heaven,  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  wor- 
thy to  be  called  thy  son.” 

But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,  Bring  forth  the 
best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him;  and  put  a ring  on  his 
hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet.  And  bring  hither  the  fat- 
ted calf,  and  kill  it;  and  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry:  For 
this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost, 
and  is  found.” 

And  they  began  to  be  merry. 


CHOICE  THOUGHTS  FROM  MANY 
MINDS. 


A ceftain  man  had  two  sons*  And  the  younger  of 
them  said  to  his  father;— 

Father^  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to 
me/' 

Such  a request  showed  his  discontented  state  of 
mind. 

Desiring  to  be  one’s  own  master  is  the  beginning 
of  all  sin. 

And  he  divided  unto  them  his  living* 

The  father  did  not  do  anything  to  restrain  or 
punish  his  son.  He  just  left  him  to  sow  and  then 
to  reap. 

The  sequel  shows  that  we  may  be  thankful  that 
all  our  prayers  are  not  answered. 

And  not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered 
all  together, — 

Here  we  see  the  prosperous  prodigal,  for  remem- 
ber— he  was  as  much  a prodigal  the  moment  he 
turned  his  back  on  his  father  as  when  later  he  was 
feeding  swine. 

and  took  his  journey — 

A man  reaches  the  depths  of  ungodliness  by  stages. 

7 


8 


THE  PRODIGAL 


It  is  a journey.”  Some  travel  more  quickly  than 
others,  but  all  arrive  at  the  same  dark  destination. 

into  a far  country^ — 

far  from  his  father,  from  home  restraints,  from 
good  influences. 

His  heart  having  already  gone  into  the  far  coun- 
try, he  followed.  The  way  is  downwards,  down  hill. 

Homelessness,  farness  from  God,  is  man’s  state  by 
nature.  It  is  not  measured  in  space,  but  in  the  afiPec- 
tions. 

and  there  wasted  his  substance — 

He  had  a fortune  in  his  hand,  not  in  his  head  or 
heart.  Any  fool  can  squander  the  former,  but  not 
the  latter. 

with  riotous  living* 

The  story  has  often  been  repeated  literally.  Too 
often  when  men  forsake  God,  they  turn  to  sensual 
gratification,  uncontrolled  by  thoughts  of  God  and 
directed  solely  to  earthly  excitements. 

Riotous  living — the  deadliest  way  to  exhaust  the 
body,  debase  the  mind,  destroy  the  substance,  and 
damn  the  soul. 

And  when  he  had  spent  alb — 

without  gaining  any  substantial  returns. 

Probably  in  a short  time.  Sinful  pleasure  is  brief. 

there  arose  a mighty  famine  in  that  land^ — 

Such  men  help  to  bring  about  famines, — those  who 
are  always  consuming  and  wasting,  and  never  pro- 
ducing. 

This  famine  was  the  external  cause  of  the  prodigal’s 
return.  God  allows  human  circumstances  to  hasten 


CHOICE  THOUGHTS  FROM  MANY  MINDS 


9 


the  consequences  of  sin.  Famines  and  other  miseries 
are  messengers  He  sends  after  His  wandering  chil- 
dren. 

The  saddest  famine  of  all  is  that  of  the  soul, 
and  he  began  to  be  in  want* 

He  had  now  begun  to  realize  that  the  pleasures  of 
sin  are  only  for  a season.  He  had  got  all  the  world 
could  give  him,  and  then  found  himself  in  want. 

This  is  the  main  point.  When  the  wandering  sin- 
ner/ccfe  his  loant,  he  must  either  despair  or  repent. 
And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a citizen  of  that 
country; — 

The  young  man  who  sought  freedom  from  a father’s 
control  came  into  abject  dependencc/^upon  a stranger, 
and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine* 

He  would  not  live  with  his  father;  now  he  was  com- 
pelled to  live  with  swine. 

Shame,  contempt  and  distress  are  wedded  to  sin, 
and  can  never  be  divorced. 

He  who  will  not  be  a son  to  the  Heavenly  Father 
must  be  a slave  to  the  devil. 

There  is  no  master  so  cruel  as  Satan,  no  yoke  so 
heavy  as  sin. 

And  he  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly — 

And  even  then  he  would  not  have  satisfied  his 
belly— 

with  the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat* 

The  swine  were  better  off  than  the  prodigal,  because 
husks  did  nourish  them,  and  they  got  their  fill. 

He  sold  himself  to  the  devil,  and  all  he  got  was — 
husks! 


10 


THE  PRODIGAL 


Sensual  pleasures  fill,  but  never  satisfy. 

When  we  see  men  at  fifty,  or  even  sixty,  years  of 
age,  still  feverish  about  some  new  pleasure,  we  see  a 
soul  formed  with  a capacity  for  high  and  noble  things, 
fit  for  the  banquebtable  of  God  Himself,  trying  to  fill 
its  infinite  hollowness  with  husks. 

And  no  man  gave  unto  him* 

With  all  his  banquets  and  rioting,  he  had  not  gained 
one  true  friend. 

And  when  he  came  to  himself^ — 

A brighter  day  now  began  to  dawn  after  the  terri- 
ble night. 

He  began  to  realize  ( 1 ) his  present  bad  lot. 

(2)  what  it  might  be. 

After  all,  there  is  in  every  man  something  better 
than  a fool,  a spendthrift,  a hog= tender.  A man’s  real 
self  is  never  satisfied  with  sinning  and  sinking;  he 
knows  he  is  fitted  for  something  better  and  purer. 

he  said,  How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father^s  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare^  and  I perish  with  hunger/^ 

Perhaps  it  was  only  his  stomach,  then,  and  not  his 
conscience,  that  urged  him  homewards.  But  low  as 
this  motive  would  be,  it  was  enough.  So  long  as  any 
motive  brings  you  home  to  God  through  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus,  it  is  a blessed  one. 

His  will  took  him  away;  his  wants  brought  him 
back. 

I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him, 
Father,  I have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee, — 

He  acknowledged  that  he  was  without  excuse.  He 
had  not  a word  to  say  about  his  ‘‘  failures,”  his  “ faults,” 


CHOICE  THOUGHTS  FROM  MANY  MINDS 


11 


his  ‘‘wild  oats,”  etc.  He  called  it  by  the  right 
name — Sin. 

He  showed  a proper  appreciation  of  the  nature  of 
his  sin — first,  against  God;  then,  against  his  father. 

''And  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son*  Make 
me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants/^ 

He  went  out  as  a son.  He  would  be  glad  to  return 
as  a servant. 

It  is  the  glory  of  the  Gospel  that  it  is  the  refuge, 
the  last  resource,  of  the  broken-hearted.  God  does  not 
reject  the  jaded  heart. 

And  he  arose^— 

feeling  how  low  down  he  was  morally. 

Resolve  results  in  action. 

This  is  where  repentance  merges  into  faith. 

and  came  to  his  father* 

What  did  it  mean?  There  was  before  him  a long  and 
weary  journey  which  he  (who  had  been  brought  up  in 
plenty)  had  to  face  without  means.  There  was  the 
humiliation  of  the  confession  of  his  sin,  of  the  position 
as  a servant.  But  true  repentance  was  willing  to  face 
all  this. 

Departure  from  God  is  the  essence  of  all  sin;  return 
to  God  is  the  essence  of  true  repentance. 

But  when  he  was  yet  a great  way  off^  his  father  saw 
him^ — 

— before  he  saw  his  father.  Love  is  far-sighted.  The 
eyes  of  mercy  are  quicker  than  the  eyes  of  repentance. 
Even  the  eye  of  faith  is  dim  compared  with  the  eye  of 
God’s  love.  He  sees  the  returning  sinner  before  the 
sinner  sees  him. 


12 


THE  PRODIGAL 


and  had  compassion^ — 

No  depths  were  too  low  for  the  father’s  love  to  reach. 

and  ran^ — 

So  God  is  in  a hurry  to  welcome  the  returning 
prodigal. 

Slow  are  the  steps  of  repentance,  but  swift  are  the 
feet  of  forgiveness, 
and  fell  on  his  necfc,  and  fcissed  him* 

He  did  not  delay  a moment,  for  though  he  was  out 
of  breath,  he  was  not  out  of  love. 

The  Scotch  call  this  “The  Parable  of  the  Wonder- 
ful Father.”  There  are  many  such  sons,  but  not  al- 
ways such  a father. 

And  the  son  said  unto  him^  '^Father, — 

the  most  obvious  sign  of  his  repentance  was  recog- 
nizing his  father  as  father. 

I have  sinned  against  heaven^  and  in  thy  sights  and  am 
no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son/' 

But  the  father  said  to  his  servants^  Bring  forth  the  best 
robe^  and  put  it  on  him^  and  put  a ring  on  his  hand^ 
and  shoes  on  his  feet;  and  bring  hither  the  fatted  calh 
and  kill  it;  and  let  us  eat  and  be  merry;  for  this  my 
son  was  dead  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  losb  and  is  found/' 

Heaven  keeps  holiday  when  some  poor  waif  comes 
shrinking  back  to  the  Father. 

And  they  began  to  be  merry* 

And  we  are  not  told  that  they  ever  left  ofiP.  The 
conversion  of  a soul  is  enough  to  make  everlasting  joy 
in  the  hearts  of  the  righteous. 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON. 

By  D.  L.  MOODY. 

This  young  man,  the  prodigal  son,  started  wrong — 
that  was  the  trouble  with  him.  He  was  like  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  young  men  in  our  cities  to-day  who 
have  a false  idea  of  life:  and  when  a man  has  a false  idea 
of  life,  it  is  very  hard  for  his  father  or  mother  or  any  of 
his  friends  to  do  anything  with  him. 

I do  not  know  where  his  mother  was.  Perhaps  he 
had  sent  her  to  the  grave  with  a broken  heart.  The 
Lord  did  not  speak  of  his  mother;  if  she  had  been  living, 
He  would  have  probably  referred  to  her. 

The  father  is  to  be  censured;  we  cannot  help  but 
blame  the  father.  When  the  son  said,  Father,  divide, 
and  give  me  my  portion,”  the  father  should  have  said: 

‘‘  You  show  a bad  spirit.  I will  let  you  go  without 
your  portion.” 

A great  many  fathers  make  that  mistake  now.  I do 
not  think  this  father  could  have  done  a greater  unkind- 
ness to  the  boy  than  to  give  him  his  goods  and  money, 
and  let  him  go.  It  showed  a contemptible  spirit  in  the 
boy  when  he  came  to  his  father  and  said: 

‘‘  Divide:  give  me  my  portion  and  let  me  go.” 

He  wanted  to  go  away  from  his  father’s  prayers  and 
influence,  and  get  into  a foreign  land  where  he  could  go 
on  as  he  pleased,  where  he  could  run  riot  and  plunge  in- 

13 


14 


THE  PRODIGAL 


to  all  kinds  of  sin,  and  where  there  was  no  restraint. 
And  that  indulgent  father  gratified  his  wdsh,  and  di- 
vided his  goods  with  him.  I have  two  sons,  and  if  either 
should  ask  me  for  a portion  I’d  say: 

“ Go  and  earn  it  by  the  sweat  of  your  brow.” 

Of  all  classes  I most  pity  rich  men’s  sons  with  nothing 
to  do.  It’s  a good  deal  better  for  your  sons  to  earn  wealth 
for  themselves  than  for  you  to  earn  it  for  them.  I have 
more  respect  for  a rich  man’s  son  who  makes  anything 
of  himself  than  for  a poor  man’s  son.  Self-made  men  are 
the  only  men  good  for  anything.  The  rich  men’s  sons 
are  spoilt.  Their  fathers  do  everything,  even  their 
thinking,  for  them.  They  are  subject  to  all  kinds  of 
temptations,  which  poor  men’s  sons  never  know. 

Perhaps  this  young  man  did  not  get  on  well  with  his 
elder  brother.  Or  perhaps  he  grew  restive  under  home 
restraints.  We  are  not  told  the  reason  why  he  left  home, 
but  not  many  days  after  he  had  received  his  portion,  he 
went  around  to  his  old  companions  and  bade  them  all 
good-bye,  and  went  off  to  a foreign  country,  perhaps  to 
Egypt.  He  started  out  with  a false  idea  of  life; 
nine4enths  of  the  young  men  do.  He  thought  he’d  find 
better  friends  and  have  a better  time  in  that  far  off 
country. 

How  Satan  blinds  men!  With  some  it  is  money;  with 
others  pleasure;  with  all  of  us,  it  is  selfishness  under  one 
form  or  another. 

He  started  off,  holding  his  head  very  high  that  morn- 
ing. He  was  full  of  pride  and  conceit,  and  he  had  very 
lofty  ideas.  If  anyone  had  told  him  what  he  was  coming 
to,  he  would  have  laughed  in  scorn.  But  mind  you, 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


16 


once  a man  starts  on  the  downward  track,  he  will  sink 
lower  and  lower,  unless  by  the  grace  of  God  he  turns 
from  sin  to  righteousness.  The  first  lie,  the  first  drink, 
the  first  petty  theft,  is  often 

A CRISIS  IN  A man’s  LIFE. 

I suppose,  like  young  men  of  to-day,  he  went  to 
Memphis  or  some  other  large  city.  He  put  up  at  the 
best  hotel,  he  smoked  the  best  cigars,  he  drank  none 
but  the  best  wines  and  drove  none  but  the  fastest 
horses.  He  did  not  mix  with  the  common  men.  He 
gathered  a number  of  choice  friends  around  him,  and 
thought  he  was  having  a high  time.  The  very  first 
thing  we  hear  of  him  is,  he  is  in  bad  company.  He  be- 
gan to  waste  his  substance  in  riotous  living.  I never 
knew  a young  man  who  treated  his  father  unkindly  who 
would  not  go  off  into  bad  company.  We  hear  of  him 
going  on  in  all  kinds  of  vice.  He  devoured  his  living 
with  harlots.  He  was  guilty  of  adultery — the  shortest, 
quickest,  surest  road  to  ruin.  If  they  had  theaters  in 
those  days,  (and  I do  not  doubt  but  they  had),  he 
would  be  in  the  theater  every  night  in  the  week.  We 
should  find  him  in  the  billiarddiall  and  the  drinking- 
saloon.  We  should  find  him  in  the  ways  of  those  whose 
feet  take  hold  on  hell.  He  was  a popular  young  man; 
he  had  plenty  of  money,  and  his  money  was  popular. 
He  was  a grand  companion  for  the  young  men  in  that 
far  country;  they  liked  his  society. 

If  you  had  asked  him  to  come  to  a religious  meeting, 
he  would  have  been  indignant.  What  need  had  he  of  a 
Savior?  What  did  he  care  for  his  father’s  Bible  or  his 
mother’s  prayers? 


16 


THE  PRODIGAL 


That  first  year  he  was  very  independent.  He  had  a 
great  many  admirers  fluttering  around  him.  His  friends 
were  the  leading  young  men — the  upper  ten.  He 
moved  in  very  high  circles.  The  aristocratic  mothers 
were  foolish  enough  to  introduce  their  daughters  to  him; 
they  were  very  glad  to  make  his  acquaintance. 

That  was  the  first  year,  but  he  cleared  it  all  out  in 
five  years  or  less.  Perhaps  his  portion  was  $100,000. 
It  does  not  take  long  for  a young  man  to  go  to  ruin 
when  he  gets  among  harlots  and  wild  young  fellows.  It 
takes  one  generation  to  accumulate,  f he  next  spends  it. 

Where  are  his  friends  now?  He  had  plenty  to  gamble 
with  him  at  first.  They  liked  to  take  a helping  hand  in 
spending  his  money;  but  gradually  he  hasn’t  money 
enough  to  pay  the  tailor.  He  is  getting  a little  shabby 
in  appearance.  His  clothes  are  not  so  good  as  they 
were.  He  once  had  a good  wardrobe,  but  now  he  goes 
to  the  pawn-shop,  and  he  pawns  his  overcoat  for  strong 
drink;  and  one  thing  after  another  soon  goes.  He 
might  have  had  some  gift  which  his  mother  gave  him 
when  she  was  dying,  and  at  last  that  goes;  and  yet  he 
does  not  come  to  himself.  When  he  first  came  to 
Memphis  he  used  to  get  drunk  at  least  once  a week. 
Now  you  see  him  hanging  around  the  pawn-broker’s. 
He  asks  one  of  his  former  friends  to  lend  him*  a dollar. 
They  were  ready  enough  to  strip  him  of  his  money;  now 
they  point  him  out  as  the  biggest  fool  in  all  Memphis. 

He  came  here  five  years  ago,”  one  of  them  says, 
“ with  $100,000,  and  he’s  gone  through  the  whole  of  it. 
He  actually  asked  me  to  lend  him  a dollar.  I wouldn’t 
lend  him  a cent.” 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


17 


His  friends  were  the  friends  of  his  circumstances. 
Give  me  the  friend  who  is  my  friend  for  what  I am,  not 
for  what  I’ve  got.  I want  a friend  who  will  stand  by 
me  in  the  time  of  calamity. 

He  pawns  his  ring,  the  sign  of  sonship,  and  his 
clothes.  And  then  a mighty  famine  strikes  the  land. 
There  is  always  a famine  in  the  devil’s  territory.  A 
mighty  famine  struck  the  land,  and  this  young  man  be- 
gan to  feel  the  want  of  food. 

The  fact  is,  it  doesn’t  take  long  to  drain  the  cup  of 
pleasure  dry.  There  may  be  pleasure  in  sin,  but  it  does 
not  last.  It  ends  in  want  and  misery  every  time.  Satan 
never  gives  enduring  satisfaction.  When  this  young 
man  got  home  they  “ began  to  be  merry,  ” but  now  in 
the  far  county  he  begins  to  be  in  want.  And  “ no  man 
gave  unto  him.”  Generosity  is  a virtue  which  does  not 
flourish  in  that  kind  of  soil. 

ONE  REDEEMING  POINT. 

He  had  one  redeeming  point — he  would  not  beg  or 
steal.  God  have  mercy  on  a young  man  in  perfect 
health  who  will  beg!  He  is  not  far  from  being  a thief. 

The  prodigal  looked  round  for  a job.  Would  any 
bank  president  have  him  for  cashier?  “ I coiddn’t 
trust  him,”  they  would  say.  Would  any  leading  mer- 
chaixt  take  him?  “ I couldn’t,”  they  would  answer:  “ he 
has  lost  his  character.” 

“ Look  at  his  hands,”  one  said:  “he  can’t  earn  any- 
thing at  manual  labor.” 

He  went  round  for  a number  of  days,  and  at  last  was 
hired  to  look  after  swine.  He  was  so  hungry  that  he 
would  have  eaten  husks  if  he  could  have  got  them.  No 


18 


THE  PRODIGAL 


man  gave  him  even  husks.  This  wealthy  man’s  son, 
who  was  brought  up  amid  good  influences  and  surround- 
ings, is  now  living  in  that  foreign  country  like  a man 
who  had  never  seen  a decent  home. 

Now,  just  for  a moment  think  what  that  man  lost  . 
in  all  these  years. 

He  lost  his  home;  he  had  no  home.  His  friends, 
when  he  had  money,  might  have  invited  him  around  to 
their  homes;  but  it  was  not  home  for  him.  There  is  not 
a prodigal  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  but  has  lost  his 
home.  You  may  live  in  a gilded  palace;  but  if  God  is 
not  there,  it  is  not  home.  If  your  conscience  is  lashing 
you,  it  is  not  home. 

He  lost  his  food.  His  father’s  table  did  not  go  to 
that  country.  He  would  have  fed  on  the  husks  that 
the  swine  did  eat,  This  world  cannot  satisfy  the  soul. 

Then  he  lost  his  testimony.  I can  imagine  that  some 
of  the  young  men  of  that  country  saw  him  among  the 
swine,  feeding  them,  and  they  said: 

Look  at  that  poor  wretched  young  man,  with  no  * 
shoes  on  his  feet,  and  with  such  shabby  garments.” 

They  looked  at  him  and  called  him  a beggar,  and  . 
pointed  the  Anger  of  scorn  at  him.  \ 

He  said:  ‘‘You  need  not  call  me  a beggar.  My 
father  is  a wealthy  man.” 

“ Your  father  a wealthy  man?  ” 

“Yes.”  ^ 

“ You  look  like  a wealthy  man’s  son!”  / 

Not  a man  believed  him  when  he  said  he  was  a 
wealthy  man’s  son.  His  testimony  was  gone.  So  when 
a man  goes  into  the  service  of  the  devil,  he  sinks  lower 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


19 


and  lower;  and  it  is  not  long  before  every  one  loses 
confidence  in  him.  One  sin  leads  on  to  another.  His 
testimony  is  gone. 

He  lost  his  health,  his  good  name,  his  time. 

And  he  did  not  gain  much  to  compensate  him  for 
these  losses.  He  got  a good  many  things,  however. 
He  got  the  jeers  of  his  former  companions.  He  got 
rags  and  filth.  He  got  a gnawing  hunger,  and  a 
depraved  appetite.  He  got  a sad  experience  of  the  un- 
satisfying nature  of  worldly  pleasures. 

But  there  is 

ONE  THING  HE  DID  NOT  LOSE, 
and  if  there  is  a poor  backslider  reading  this,  there  is 
one  thing  you  have  not  lost.  That  young  man  never 
, lost  his  father^ s love, 

I can  imagine  one  of  his  father’s  neighbors  met  him 
in  that  place,  and  said  to  him: 

“ My  boy,  I have  just  come  from  your  home.  Your 
father  wants  you  to  return.” 

I can  imagine  the  young  man  said:  “Did  my  father 
speak  of  me?  I thought  he  had  forgotten  me.” 

“ Why,”  says  the  man,  “he  thinks  of  nothing  else. 
He  thinks  of  you  day  and  night.  Do  you  think  he  has 
forgotten  you?  No,  never.  He  cannot  forget  you. 
He  loves  you  too  well  for  that.” 

One  morning  he  got  his  work  done  sooner  than  usual, 
and  got  to  thinking.  I wish  I could  get  men  to  think 
what  they  are  and  where  they  are  going.  His  mind 
went  back  over  his  past  conduct,  and  he  saw  nothing 
but  sin,  In  the  future  he  saw  nothing  but  death  and 
judgment.  In  his  childhood  days  he  remembers  how 


20 


THE  PRODIGAL 


he  used  to  play  with  his  brother,  and  how  the  old  birch  ; 
tree  in  front  of  the  house  looked.  He  remembers  his  | 
mother  used  to  bend  over  him  at  night  and  teach  him  ^ 
some  little  prayer,  such  as,  ^‘Now  I lay  me  down  to 
sleep.”  He  remembered  the  morning  when  he  left  , 
home.  I 

‘‘  Father  tried  to  pray  for  me,”  he  meditated,  “but  he  i 
couldn’t  finish  his  prayer.  His  grip  was  like  a vice  as  I 
he  said,  ‘ It’s  just  breaking  my  heart  to  have  you  go. 
Remember,  I shall  always  be  glad  to  see  you  back,  I j 
hope  you  won’t  be  away  long.’  * 

“ If  I stay  here  much  longer.  I’ll  starve  to  death,  and 
they  will  bury  me  like  a pauper.  Here  I am,  perishing 
with  hunger,  while  my  father’s  hired  servants  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare.  I will  arise  and  go  to  my 
father,  and  say  to  him,  ‘ Father,  I have  sinned  against 
heaven  and  before  Thee.’  ” 

ONE  OF  THE  GKEATEST  BATTLES  EVER  FOUGHT 
was  being  fought  out  then.  Everything  holy  and  • 
heavenly  was  beckoning  him  home.  The  powers  of 
darkness  were  trying  to  keep  him  from  returning. 

“ You  go  back  and  they’ll  all  laugh  at  you.  What’ll 
they  say?  ” said  the  devil. 

No  doubt  there  was  an  angel  hovering  over  him, 
watching  for  the  decision,  and  when  he  arose  and  said,  . 
“ I will  arise,”  the  angel  bore  it  on  high.  I 

“Make  another  crown.  Get  another  robe  ready,  f 
There’s  another  sinner  coming!  ” 

That  “ I will”  echoed  and  re-echoed,  and  there  was 
joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels.  He  is  saved  already. 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


21 


His  heart  has  got  home  already.  The  battle  with  pride 
and  sin  is  over. 

As  the  Scripture  puts  it,  ‘‘  He  came  to  himself.”  It 
is  a grand  thing  to  see  a man  coming  to  himself. 
When  he  began  to  come  to  himself,  then  it  was  there 
was  hope  for  him.  It  teaches  us  clearly  that  all  these 
years  he  had  been  out  of  his  mind.  Very  likely  he 
thought  Christians  were  out  of  their  minds.  There  is 
not  a drunkard,  harlot,  thief,  or  gambler,  but  thinks 
Christians  are  mad;  and  they  call  us  fanatics.  But  Sol- 
omon says:  ‘‘Madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they  live, 
and  after  that  they  go  to  the  dead.” 

When  he  came  to  himself,  he  said:  “I  will  perish 
here.  I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.”  That  was  the 
turning  point  in  that  young  man’s  life.  There  is  always 
hope  for  a man  when  he  begins  to  think.  I wish  you 
would  bear  in  mind  that  if  you  are  willing  to  own  your 
sin,  and  own  that  you  have  wandered  from  God,  God  is 
willing  to  receive  you.  The  very  moment  you  are  will- 
ing to  come,  that  moment  God  is  willing  and  ready  to 
receive  you.  He  delights  in  forgiveness.  I do  not 
care  how  vile  you  have  been,  if  you  are  willing  to  come 
back,  God  is  willing  and  ready  to  receive  you. 

It  did  not  take  long,  after  his  mind  was  made  up,  to 
go.  He  had  no  friends  to  visit  and  bid  good-bye  to. 
There  was  no  one  to  love  and  pity  him.  He  asked  his 
employer  to  settle  up — he  didn’t  get  much.  He  came 
just  as  he  was — poor,  ragged,  dirty;  he  did  not  wait  to 
get  fixed  up. 

I see  him  as  he  starts  for  home.  He  has  a hard 


22 


THE  PRODIGAL 


journey.  He  is  almost  starved.  Day  after  day  he  j 
travels  on.  He  has  no  fear  of  thieves,  for  he  has  squan-  > 
dered  all  he  had.  , I 

If  a man  had  seen  him  going  along  the  road  when  he  " 
started  for  home,  he’d  have  said: 

There  goes  a tramp.”  I 

A tramp?  He  is  an  heir  of  glory,  going  to  sit  on  i 
the  throne  with  Christ.  He  is  already  in  the  king-  | 
dom.  If  a man  is  not  saved,  it  is  not  because  he  canH,  | 
but  because  he  ivonH,  The  only  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
receiving  pardon  for  sins  are  those  you  make  yourself. 

One  day  he  gets  to  the  top  of  a hill — and  then  he’s 
across  the  line.  There  is  a strange  feeling  about  get- 
ting back  into  your  own  country,  under  the  old  flag; 
there’s  an  excitement  about  it.  He  gazed  at  a blue  hill 
in  the  distance,  and  said  to  himself, 

“ When  I get  on  that  hill  I can  see  how  the  old 
house  looks.”  ^ 

When  he  arrives  on  that  hilbtop,  how  his  eyes  feast  j 
on  the  homestead!  j 

Now  let  us  take  a look  into  the  home.  It  is  the  hour  | 
of  family  worship.  The  old  father  reads  a psalm,  one 
of  the  psalms  of  David,  the  91st  or  the  46th,  perhaps.  ; 
After  reading,  they  sing,  and  the  old  man  prays.  He  j 
prays  for  the  servants,  the  elder  brother,  the  neighibors,  | 
then  his  voice  begins  to  falter  a little,  and  he  prays:  » 

God  bring  home  my  w-andering  boy!”  | 

That  cry  had  gone  up  from  that  altar  every  evening  | 
for  flve  years.  I 

‘‘Who’s  that  your  master  was  praying  for?”  you  ask  j 
the  servants.  i 


1 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


23 


‘‘  His  youngest  son.” 

“ Why,  I’ve  lived  here  for  three  years,  and  never 
knew  he  had  one.  What  kind  of  a young  man  is 
he?” 

‘‘A  good-for-nothing,  miserable  wretch,”  they  answer. 

Then  you  enquire  of  the  elder  son. 

“Yes,  sir,  I’ve  a younger  brother.  He’s  ofP  down  at 
Memphis.” 

“ Is  he  in  business  down  there?  ” 

“ No,  sir,  my  father  gave  him  his  fortune,  and  he 
spent  it  all  with  harlots  and  riotous  living.” 

You  notice  it’s  the  elder  brother  that  says  this.  Not 
a bit  will  the  father  tell.  Go  and  sit  down  by  that  gray- 
haired father  and  ask  him, 

“ Would  you  forgive  him?  ” 

“Forgive  him?  Why,  there’s  been  nothing  in  my 
heart  but  love  for  him  all  along.  Let  him  come  home, 
and  you’ll  see  how  gladly  I’ll  restore  him.” 

The  father,  in  the  parable,  represents  your  God  and 
mine.  His  heart  is  full  of  love  for  us,  no  matter  how 
we  turn  our  back  on  Him,  and  disobey.  He  so  loved 
us  that  He  sent  His  only  begotten  Son  to  die  for  us. 

One  day  the  old  father  is  on  the  flat  roof  on  the  top 
of  the  house.  It  is  about  three  o’clock  in  the  after- 
noon. The  old  man  is  praying  with  his  face  turned  to- 
wards Jerusalem.  He  takes  his  usual  look  along  the 
highway,  and  sees  a stranger  in  the  distance.  He  holds 
up  his  hands  to  keep  the  sun  out  of  his  eyes,  and  looks. 
Love  makes  the  eyesight  very  keen.  He  cannot  recog- 
nize his  boy  by  his  rags,  but  he  knows  his  son’s  very 
gait. 


24: 


THE  PRODIGAL 


“That’s  my  boy!  That’s  my  son!  He’s  coming 
back!”  he  exclaims. 

Downstairs  he  rushes,  his  gray  hair  flying  in  the 
wind;  he  has  never  been  seen  to  go  so  fast  for  years. 
He  leaps  into  the  highway.  The  servants  wonder  to  see 
him  rushing  to  meet  a stranger.  God  never  allows  us  to 
get  ahead  of  Him. 

“ Father,  I’ve  sinned,”  begins  the  prodigal.  But  the 
old  man  won’t  hear  a word. 

“ Run  quickly  and  get  the  best  robe.  You  run  and 
bring  a new  ring.  You  fetch  the  best  pair  of 
shoes.  You  go  and  kill  the  fatted  calf.  Send  for  the 
musicians.  We  are  going  to  have  music,  and  rejoice.” 

The  whole  house  is  in  excitement. 

What  a picture  that  is  of  the  love  of  God,  and  His  joy 
over  the  return  of  a sinner!  Come,  reader,  are  you  not 
ashamed  to  stay  away  from  such  a Father?  Will  you 
not  say  “I  will”  this  moment,  and  turn  your  face 
homewards?  God  is  waiting  to  welcome  you. 

I see  the  old  man  weeping  tears  of  joy.  In  that 
home  there  is  gladness.  The  boy  is  eating  that  sump- 
tuous meal;  ”he  has  not  had  as  good  a meal  for  many  a 
year.  It  seems  almost  too  good  to  be  true.  Picture  the 
scene.  While  he  is  there  he  begins  to  weep;  and  his 
old  father,  who  is  weeping  for  joy,  looks  over  to  him 
and  says: 

“ What  are  you  weeping  for?” 

The  boy  says:  “Well,  father,  I was  thinking  it  would 
be  an  awful  thing  if  I should  leave  you  again,  and  go 
into  a foreign  country.” 

But  if  you  sit  down  at  God’s  feast,  you  will  not  want 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


25 


to  go  back  into  the  devil’s  country  again.  He  go  back? 
He  will  never  go  back  to  the  swine  and  the  husks. 

Oh,  my  friends,  come  home!  God  wants  you.  His 
heart  is  aching  for  you.  I do  not  care  what  your  past 
life  has  been.  Upon  the  authority  of  God’s  Word  I 
proclaim  salvation  to  every  sinner.  This  man  receiv- 
ed! sinners,  and  eateth  with  them.”  Every  sinner  has 
a false  idea  of  God;  he  thinks  God  is  not  ready  and 
willing  to  forgive  him.  He  says  it  is  not  justice.  But 
God  wants  to  deal  in  mercy.  If  the  old  father  had 
dealt  in  justice,  he  would  have  barred  the  door  and  said 
to  his  son: 

“ You  cannot  come  into  my  house.” 

That  is  not  what  fathers  are  doing.  Their  doors  are 
not  barred  against  their  own  children.  Their  doors  are 
wide  open,  and  they  bid  you  come  home.  There  is  no 
father  on  earth  who  has  as  much  love  in  his  heart  as 
God  has  for  you.  You  may  be  black  as  hell;  yet  God 
stands  ready  and  willing  to  receive  you  to  His  bosom, 
and  to  forgive  you  freely. 

When  I w^as  preaching  once  in  Philadelphia,  a poor, 
fallen  woman  came  into  the  meeting.  The  sermon  did 
not  touch  her  until  I got  to  that  part  where  I said: 
‘‘There  is  no  sinner  so  vile  but  Jesus  will  receive 
that  one”;  and  it  v/ent  like  an  arrow  to  her  soul.  She 
came  to  the  inquiry  room,  and  made  up  her  mind  never 
to  go  back.  In  the  course  of  forty-eight  hours  she 
found  her  way  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Two  Christian 
ladies  went  to  see  her  mother;  and  wdien  they  came  to 
her  house,  she  was  not  going  to  let  them  in.  She  was 
sick  and  did  not  w^ant  to  receive  any  callers;  but  the 


26 


THE  PRODIGAL 


thought  came  to  her  that  perhaps  they  were  bringing 
good  news  from  her  husband.  When  these  two  angels 
of  light  came  in,  they  said  they  came  to  talk  about  her 
daughter,  Mary.  The  woman  said: 

“My  daughter?  have  you  brought  news  of  my  child? 
Where  is  she?  Oh,  how  my  heart  has  ached  for  fifteen 
long  years.  Why  did  you  not  bring  her  with  you?” 

They  said:  “ We  did  not  know  that  you  would  receive 
her.” 

She  said:  “Oh,  how  my  heart  has  been  aching! 
Won’t  you  bring  her  back  to-morrow  morning?” 

If  the  mother  received  that  child,  do  you  tell  me  God 
would  not  receive  her?  There  is  not  a sinner  on  earth 
whom  God  will  not  receive  if  he  repents. 

William  Dawson,  the  celebrated  Yorkshire  farmer, 
once  said  that  there  was  no  man  so  far  gone  in  London 
that  Christ  would  not  receive  him.  A young  lady  called 
on  him  and  said: 

“ I heard  you  say  that  there  was  no  man  so  far  gone 
in  London  that  Christ  would  not  receive  him.  Did  you 
mean  it?  ” 

“ Yes,”  he  said. 

“Well,”  she  said,  “ I have  found  a man  who  says  he 
is  so  bad  that  the  Lord  will  not  have  anything  to  do 
with  him.  Will  you  go  and  see  him?” 

He  said:  “ I will  be  glad  to  go.” 

She  took  him  to  a brick  building  in  a narrow  street; 
and  he  was  in  the  fifth  story.  She  said: 

“ You  had  better  go  in  alone.” 

He  went  in  and  found  a young  man  lying  in  the  gar- 
ret, on  an  old  straw  bed.  He  was  very  sick.  Mr.  Daw- 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


27 


son  whispered  in  his  ear  some  kind  words,  and  wanted 
to  call  his  friends. 

The  dying  man  said:  ‘‘You  are  mistaken  in  the  per- 
son.” 

“Why  so?”  said  Mr.  Dawson. 

“I  have  no  friends  on  earth,”  said  the  dying  man. 

It  is  hard  indeed,  for  a man  to  serve  the  devil,  and 
come  down  to  no  friends. 

“Well,”  said  he,  “ you  have  a friend  in  Christ”;  and 
he  told  him  how  Jesus  loved  and  pitied  him,  and 
would  save  him.  He  read  different  portions  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  prayed  with  the  man.  After  praying  with 
him  a long  time,  the  light  of  the  gospel  began  to  break 
into  his  dark  soul,  and  his  heart  went  out  towards  those 
whom  he  had  injured.  He  said: 

“If  my  father  would  only  forgive  me,  I could  die 
happy.” 

“Who  is  your  father?” 

He  told  him,  and  Mr.  Dawson  said,  “I  will  go  and 
see  him.” 

“No,”  the  sick  man  said;  “he  has  cast  me  off.” 

But  William  Dawson  knew  he  would  receive  him,  so 
he  got  his  father’s  address  and  said: 

“ I will  go.” 

He  came  to  the  west  end  of  London,  and  rang  the  bell 
of  the  house  where  the  father  lived.  A servant  in  livery 
came  to  the  door,  and  Mr.  Dawson  asked  if  his  master 
was  in.  The  servant  showed  him  in,  and  told  him  to 
wait  a few  minutes.  Presently  the  merchant  came  in. 
Mr.  Dawson  said  to  him: 

“ You  have  a son  by  the  name  of  Joseph.” 


28 


THE  PRODIGAL 


The  merchant  said:  ‘‘No  sir;  if  you  come  to  talk  to  me 
about  that  worthless  vagabond,  you  shall  leave  the 
house.  I have  disinherited  him.” 

Mr.  Dawson  said:  “ He  will  not  be  your  boy  by  night; 
but  he  will  be  as  long  as  he  lives.” 

The  man  said,  “ Is  my  boy  sick?  ” 

“Yes,  he  is  dying.  I do  not  ask  you  to  help  bury 
him,  I will  attend  to  that;  but  he  wants  you  to  forgive 
him,  and  then  he  will  die  in  peace.” 

The  tears  trickled  down  the  father’s  cheeks.  Said 
he:  “ Does  Joseph  want  me  to  forgive  him?  I would 
have  forgiven  him  long  ago  if  I had  known  that.” 

In  a few  minutes  he  was  in  a carriage,  and  they  went 
to  the  house  where  the  boy  was;  and  as  they  ascended 
the  filthy  stairs,  he  said: 

“Did  you  find  my  boy  here?  I would  have  taken 
him  to  my  heart  if  I had  known  this.” 

The  boy  cried,  when  his  father  came  in:  “ Can  you 
forgive  me  all  my  past  sins?  ” 

The  father  bent  over  him,  and  kissed  him,  and  said: 
“ I would  have  forgiven  you  long  ago.”  And  he  added: 
“ Let  my  servant  put  you  in  my  carriage.” 

The  dying  man  said:  “ I am  too  sick — I can  die  happy 
now.  I think  God,  for  Christ’s  sake,  has  forgiven  me.” 

The  prodigal  told  the  father  of  the  Savior’s  love;  and 
then,  his  head  lying  upon  his  father’s  bosom,  he 
breathed  his  last,  and  rose  to  heaven. 

If  your  father  or  mother  forsake  you,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  will  not.  Oh,  press  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
now.  Come  home ! 

Mr.  Spurgeon  once  summed  up  the  things  his  audi- 


THE  PRODIGAL  SON 


29 


ence  had  got  over.  Some,  he  said,  had  got  over  the 
prayers  of  faithful  Sabbath-school  teachers  who  used  to 
weep  over  them  and  come  to  the  house  and  talk  to  them. 
They  resisted  all  their  entreaties,  and  got  over  their  in- 
fluence. And  some  had  got  over  their  mother’s  tears 
and  prayers,  and  she,  perhaps,  sleeps  in  the  grave 
to-day.  Some  had  got  over  the  tears  and  prayers  of 
their  father  and  of  their  minister,  who  had  prayed  with 
them  and  wept  with  them,  a godly,  faithful  minister. 
There  was  a time  when  his  sermons  got  right  hold  of 
them,  but  they  have  got  over  them  now,  and  his  sermons 
make  no  impression.  Some  had  been  through  special 
meetings,  and  they  have  made  no  impression;  they  have 
not  touched  them.  Still  they  say  they  are  getting  on. 
Well,  so  they  are;  but  bear  in  mind,  they  are  getting  on 
as  fast  as  they  can  to  hell,  and  there  is  not  one  man  in 
ten  thousand  who  can  hope  to  be  saved  after  he  has 
grown  so  harddiearted. 

Oh,  reader,  if  you  are  not  already  a child  of  God,  safe 
bound  for  the  Father’s  home,  or  if  you  are  a wandering 
child,  off  in  the  far  country,  say,  I will  arise”  now! 
Let  there  be  joy  in  heaven  to-day  over  your  return. 


THE  PRODIGAL’S  LOSSES. 

By  HENRY  MOORHOUSE. 

The  fifteenth  chapter  of  Luke  is  one  which  almost 
every  one  could  repeat  from  memory,  and  yet  it  is  one  . 
of  those  beautiful  portions  which  always  seem  to  touch  ^ 
one’s  heart  and  fill  one’s  soul  with  fresh  joy  every  time 
one  reads  it.  I wish  you  to  look  at  this  sweet  chapter 
in  connection  with  the  Christian  life.  We  have  com- 
monly been  accustomed  to  look  at  it  in  connection  with 
the  state  of  unsaved  sinners,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  | 
it  may  be  applied  to  them.  But  I wish  to  draw  another 
lesson  from  it,  and  apply  it  to  our  souls.  I think  I 
shall  be  justified  in  applying  it  to  the  Christian,  as  well 
as  to  the  sinner  who  has  never  known  the  Father’s 
house  and  the  Father’s  love. 

You  remember  that  the  people  to  whom  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  spoke  this  beautiful  parable  were  all  Jews. 

A WORD  FOR  BACKSLIDERS. 

The  Jews  had  drifted  away  from  God,  and  had  be-  ; 
come  backsliders;  and  thus  I can  find  a message  to  \ 
backsliders  from  this  beautiful  chapter.  I do  not  know 
any  place  where  the  unsaved  sinner  is  spoken  of  as  the 
son  of  the  Father. 

In  this  story,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  surrounded 
by  the  publicans  and  sinners,  while  the  Pharisees  and 
scribes  were  in  the  distance,  and  began  to  murmur  and  r 

30 


THE  PRODIOAVS  LOSSES 


31 


find  fault.  You  will  always  find  that  the  Pharisees  who 
keep  away  find  fault,  but  the  sinners  who  come  near  do 
not  find  fault  at  all.  The  faultfinders  said: 

‘^This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and  eateth  with  them.” 

Then  He  spake  this  parable  unto  them, 

‘‘A  certain  man  had  two  sons : and  the  younger  of  them 
said  to  his  father,  Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods 
that  falleth  to  me. 

‘‘And  he  divided  unto  them  his  living.  And  not  many 
days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered  all  together,  and 
took  his  journey  into  a far  country,  and  there  wasted  his 
substance  with  riotous  living.  And  when  he  had  spent 
all,  there  arose  a mighty  famine  in  that  land:  and  he  be- 
gan to  be  in  want.” 

Now  notice  what  kind  of  a famine  it  was.  It  was  not 
a famine  of  husks — there  were  plenty  of  those.  It  was 
not  a famine  of  swine’s  flesh — there  was  plenty  of  that. 
But  there  was  a famine  of  that  which  was  clean,  and  fit 
for  a Jew  to  eat.  There  is  never  a famine  of  husks;  the 
devil  has  not  had  a famine  for  the  last  nineteen  hundred 
years.  There  are  always  plenty  of  husks  to  feed  hungry 
swine,  and  there  are  always  plenty  of  hungry  swine  to 
eat  them.  Go  where  you  will,  you  will  always  find 
plenty  of  devil’s  food  for  hungry  souls;  but  it  will  not 
satisfy. 

Now  the  story  goes  on  to  say,  that  when  the  prodigal 
had  wasted  his  substance,  he  went  and  joined  himself  to 
a citizen  of  that  country,  and  asked  him  for  something 
to  do;  and  I do  not  for  one  moment  believe  that  the  cit- 
izen had  the  least  pity  for  him.  He  saw  the  young  man 
was  a Jew,  and  he  said: 


82 


THE  PRODIGAL 


‘‘The  only  thing  you  are  fit  for  is  to  go  and  feed  my 
swine.” 

That  was  neither  pity  nor  sympathy;  it  was  a piece  of  - 
mockery.  Nothing  pleases  sinners  so  much  as  to  see  a 
child  of  God  brought  down  to  their  level. 

Now  what  did  the  prodigal  lose?  There  was  some- 
thing that  he  could  not  lose,  but  there  was  much  that  he 
could. 

In  the  first  place,  he  could  lose  his  home.  His  father’s 
home  was  not  closed  against  him,  but  in  that  far  coun- 
try, he  had 

NO  HOME. 

Some  would  say,  “I  would  not  be  a prodigal.  It  must 
be  something  very  terrible  to  disgrace  my  church,  to  give 
the  devil  my  service  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  to  get  in- 
toxicated and  go  reeling  about  the  streets.” 

Yes,  that  is  getting  into  the  far  country;  but,  beloved 
friend,  I believe  it  is  possible  to  be  in  the  “far  country,” 
and,  at  the  same  time,  be  in  attendance  upon  God’s  house 
and  joining  in  its  services.  I believe  it  is  possible  to  be 
in  the  “far  country”  while  reading  the  blessed  Book;  to 
be  in  the  “ far  country  ” with  the  wine  and  bread,  which 
are  emblems  of  the  broken  body  of  my  Savior,  in  my 
hand.  Nay,  more;  I believe  it  is  possible  to  be  in  the 
“far  country”  while  teaching  about  the  prodigal  son. 
Whenever  we  get  our  affections  fixed  upon  earth,  that  is 
the  “far  country.”  The  farthest  from  heaven  that  the 
Christian  can  get  is  the  world;  and,  while  we  are  living 
for  the  world,  our  heart  is  in  the  “far  country.”  Beloved 
friend,  we  need  not  give  up  our  seat  in  church,  we  need 
not  give  up  church  membership;  only  let  our  heart  be 


THE  PEODIGAVS  LOSSES 


38 


away  from  Christ,  and  centered  upon  earth,  and  we  are 
in  the  far  country.” 

Now  see  what  he  loses.  Home!  That  sweet  word! 
‘‘Home!  sweet  home!  there’s  no  place  like  home!” 

It  is  only  those  who  have  been  in  the  far  country  who 
know  what  it  is  to  love  home. 

MEMORIES  OF  HOME. 

I remember  when  I was  in  California  with  a friend. 
We  had  come  from  Sacramento,  and  had  been  in  the  cars 
four  hours.  We  had  a short  time  to  wait,  and  got  out  and 
walked  about.  We  were  enchanted  with  the  beautiful 
scenery.  The  mountain  tops,  covered  with  snow,  looked 
like  masses  of  silver.  My  friend  said  he  had  been  to 
Switzerland,  and  had  seen  nothing  like  it.  There  was  a 
lake,  and  in  the  sunlight  it  looked  like  a sea  of  gold.  We 
were  admiring  the  scenery,  when  the  birds  began  to  war- 
ble, and  a little  blackbird  began  to  sing.  Before  we  knew 
what  we  were  doing,  we  had  forgotten  the  scenery,  and 
tears  were  streaming  down  our  faces.  It  was  the  first 
blackbird  that  we  had  heard  sing  in  that  country,  and  it 
seemed  to  be  like  the  song  of  old  England.  Ah!  “there’s 
no  place  like  home.”  The  scenery  may  be  grand,  beau- 
tiful and  glorious,  but  there  is  no  place  like  home. 

So,  in  the  far  country,  the  prodigal  had  lost  his  home. 
There  was  no  familiar  face  to  welcome  him,  and  no  kind 
voice  to  cheer  him. 

He  had  lost  his  home,  and  he  had  lost  something  else 
too;  he  had  lost 

HIS  FOOD. 

He  had  the  husks,  but  they  did  not  satisfy  him.  He  lost 
his  food;  and  I think  the  Church  of  God  has  lost  her 


34 


THE  PRODIGAL 


food,  and  that  is  the  cause  of  the  terrible  state  of  weak- 
ness the  Church  is  in.  You  cannot  have  food  away  from 
your  Father’s  house.  You  must  come  back  home;  you 
will  never  be  satisfied  in  the  far  country.  What  was  the 
reason  that  the  men  of  God  had  such  power  in  the  an- 
cient days?  Because  they  ate  the  bread  that  God  sent 
them.  Turn  to  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Genesis,  and 
you  will  find  an  illustration  of  what  I mean.  What  did 
Abram  say?  He  would  not  take  so  much  as  a thread  or 
a shoedatchet.  Sodom  was  a wealthy  city,  but  Abram 
would  have  none  of  her  goods,  and  would  only  take  the 
piece  of  bread  and  drink  of  wine  from  the  priest  of  the 
Most  High  God.  Why?  He  knew  that  the  servant  of 
the  Most  High  God  should  be  independent  of  Sodom; 
and  when  the  Church  of  God  finds  out  that,  and  acts  up- 
on it,  it  will  be  a grand  thing. 

But,  though  he  refused  the  goods  of  Sodom,  Abram 
took  the  bread  and  drank  the  wine  that  typified  Christ; 
and  those  who  take  that  food,  will  not  want  to  get  rich 
with  the  goods  of  Sodom. 

Turn  now  to  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Numbers,  and 
there  you  will  find  another  illustration: 

‘•And  the  mixed  multitude  that  was  amongst  them  fell 
adusting:  and  the  children  of  Israel  also  wept  again,  and 
said,  Who  shall  give  us  fiesh  to  eat?” 

The  “mixed  multitude”;  they  were  those  who  came 
up  out  of  Egypt  with  the  children  of  Israel,  but  were 
not  under  the  shelter  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  They 
were  a hindrance  to  God’s  people.  They  said: 

“We  remember  the  fish  which  we  did  eat  in  Egypt 


THE  PRODIGAVS  LOSSES 


35 


freely,  the  cucumbers,  and  the  melons,  and  the  leeks, 
and  the  onions,  and  the  garlick;  but  now  there  is  noth- 
iiig  at  all  but  this  manna.” 

What  was  the  manna?  It  was  the  God-given  bread, 
which  they  began  to  tire  of,  remembering  the  fish,  mel- 
ons, cucumbers,  onions,  leeks  and  garlick.  They  remem- 
bered these  things,  but  forgot  the  bondage,  the  groaning, 
the  tears,  the  tale  of  bricks  they  had  to  make,  and  the 
whip  of  the  taskmasters.  The  devil  will  readily  enough 
remind  you  of  the  leeks,  onions  and  garlick,  but  not  of 
the  bondage.  The  devil  will  tell  you  of  anything  except 
the  true  manna,  which  is  Christ,  and  you  cannot  be  fed 
unless  fed  by  Him. 

LOST  WORK  AND  TESTIMONY. 

The  prodigal  lost  his  food,  but  that  was  not  all.  He 
lost  his  work.  He  could  not  take  care  of  his  father’s 
sheep  while  in  the  far  country.  His  father’s  lambs 
might  need  tending,  but  he  could  not  nurse  them  there; 
and  his  father’s  harvest  might  need  gathering,  but  he 
could  not  do  it  there. 

Beloved,  you  cannot  work  from  your  Father’s  home, 
for  He  will  not  ask  any  child  to  work  until  He  has  first 
fed  him;  we  can  neither  feed  nor  work  in  the  far 
country. 

He  had  lost  something  else,  also,  and  that  was  his 
testimony.  He  had  a ragged  coat  on  his  back,  and  not 
a cent  in  his  pocket,  and  who  would  believe  him  if  he 
talked  about  his  father?  He  might  say  his  father  was 
the  richest  man  in  Judea;  but,  with  his  ragged  coat  and 
penniless  pocket,  they  would  only  laugh  at  him  in  the 


36 


THE  PRODIGAL 


far  country,  and  would  not  believe  his  testimony.  Why 
do  people  not  believe  our  testimony?  Because  we  talk 
of  a rich  father,  and  yet  go  about  with  a ragged  coat; 
we  talk  of  joy,  and  look  wretched;  we  talk  of  peace,  and 
look  full  of  trouble.  That  is  why  our  testimony  is  not 
believed. 

Then  this  is  what  the  prodigal  lost:  his  home,  his 
food,  his  work  and  his  testimony.  But  he  did  not  lose 
all.  It  is  one  thing  to  go  to  heaven,  and  it  is  another 
to  waste  the  only  life  that  God  ever  gave  for  His 
service.  What  if  the  Mighty  God  of  heaven  were  to 
summon  around  Him  all  the  angels  in  glory,  and  He 
were  to  say: 

There  is  a mission  going  on  in  yonder  town,  and 
there  are  thousands  of  people  in  the  back  streets,  and 
nobody  is  speaking  to  them  about  My  beloved  Son;  no 
one  is  asking  them  to  go  to  the  hall  to  hear  of  salvation. 
I have  hundreds  of  people  in  that  town  who  never  speak 
for  Me.” 

I know  some  say  they  could  die  for  Christ.  But  He 
does  not  want  you  to  die  for  Him.  He  wants  you  to 
live  for  Him;  to  speak  of  His  blood,  and  to  weep  over 
lost  ones  for  Him.  He  would  do  it  for  you,  but  you 
would  not  do  it  for  Him! 

If  the  angels  only  had  the  privilege  to  leave  that  glo- 
rious place  in  heaven,  and  come  down  to  win  souls  for 
Christ,  how  many  would  go?  or  rather,  how  many  would 
stop  behind?  I do  not  believe  a single  angel  would  be 
left  in  heaven;  they  would  so  prize  the  privilege  for 
which  God’s  children  on  earth  care  so  little. 


THE  PRODIGAVS  LOSSES 


37 


But  although  the  prodigal  lost  his  home,  food,  work 
and  testimony,  he  did  not  lose  his  sonship  and  he  did 
not  lose  his  citizenship.  Once  a man  was  a J ew,  it  was 
impossible  to  make  him  a Gentile.  He  did  not  lose  his 
sonship  either.  That,  too,  is  impossible.  He  may  be 
disinherited,  but  he  is  a son  all  the  same. 

A father’s  love. 

When  I was  at  home,  in  Manchester,  our  family  con- 
sisted of  two  brothers  and  two  sisters.  My  brother  was 
a bad  boy,  a prodigal,  and  they  could  not  get  him  to 
work  in  the  mill. 

One  of  my  sisters  said  to  her  father,  Father,  I will 
tell  thee  what  thee  ought  to  do  with  our  John;  turn  him 
into  the  street.” 

“ Why?  ” asked  the  father. 

“ Why,”  she  said,  see  how  good  we  all  are,  and  how 
bad  he  is;  he  is  a disgrace  to  us.  Turn  him  away.” 

Christmas  Day  came,  and  the  family  was  together, 
and  the  old  man  read  a chapter  and  prayed,  and  the 
prodigal  was  present.  The  father,  turning  around  to 
the  daughter,  said: 

“ Well,  what  are  we  to  do  with  thy  brother  now?  ” 

Her  reply  was,  “ Put  him  in  the  street.” 

Then  he  turned,  put  the  question  to  a friend,  and  he 
said  he  did  not  like  to  interfere,  but  he  thought  it  would 
do  him  good  to  turn  him  out  a little.  The  old  man  left 
his  chair,  and  said:  ‘‘John,  thy  sister  and  brother  and 
friend  say  I should  turn  thee  out;  but  I am  thy  poor  old 
father,  and  I will  never  put  thee  in  the  street,  my  boy.” 

The  prodigal  was  overcome  by  the  father’s  love:  it 


38 


THE  PRODIGAL 


was  the  means  of  leading  his  heart  to  the  Lord,  and  he 
is  now  a preacher  of  the  Gospel. 

NEVER  TOO  LATE. 

Oh,  if  you  are  in  the  far  country,  if  all  the  angels  in 
heaven  turn  their  backs  upon  you,  if  all  the  devils  in 
hell  tell  you  you  cannot  be  saved,  and  if  your  own  heart 
says  it  is  too  late,  never  mind  them — go  home!  Go  back 
in  spite  of  earth  and  hell,  and  tell  your  Father  how  you 
have  wandered,  and  He  will  receive  you;  for  the  door  is 
never  shut,  and  a son  will  ever  find  a welcome.  The 
prodigal  went  back,  but  it  was  with  a downcast  face:  he 
did  not  see  his  father,  but  his  father  saw  him,  and  he 
ran  to  meet  him.  This  is  the  only  place  where  we  read 
of  God  being  in  a hurry.  He  did  not  run  to  create  a 
world,  but  He  ran  to  put  His  arms  around  the  neck  of 
a poor  prodigal.  Oh,  never,  never,  never  doubt  your 
Heavenly  Father’s  love!  If.  you  have  wandered,  go 
back  and  tell  Him  your  sin,  and  He  will  receive  you 
with  a kiss  upon  your  lips. 

And  when  the  prodigal  went  home,  he  found  the 
fatted  calf  ready.  The  fatted  calf  is  always  ready,  do 
not  doubt! 

THE  IRISH  mother’s  BOY. 

Once  I was  at  Dublin,  and  a lady  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  said  to  me, 

Henry  Moorhouse,  I want  thee  to  go  and  speak  to  a 
poor  woman  who  is  in  great  trouble.” 

I went  and  found  the  poor  old  woman  in  her  cottage 
in  a sad  state,  rocking  herself  to  and  fro,  and  moaning. 
I asked  her  what  troubled  her,  and  she  said  her  boy  had 
broken  her  heart.  She  said: 


THE  PRODIGAVS  LOSSES 


39 


“You  know  my  boy  has  gone  away,  and  I had  a 
letter  from  him  to-day,  and  that  has  nearly  broken  my 
heart.” 

She  read  me  the  letter,  and  she  came  to  the  words, 
“ Dear  mother,  if  you  can  never  forgive  me,  don’t  curse 
me.” 

Then  she  broke  out  again,  “ I never  knew  how  much 
I loved  him  until  he  went  away,  and  now  to  think  he 
should  say,  ‘ Mother,  don’t  curse  me.’  ” 

It  was  the  doubt  of  the  mother’s  love  that  broke  her 
heart. 

Oh,  when  any  one  can  doubt  our  Heavenly  Father’s 
love,  they  must  be  in  the  far  country!  Comeback, 
brother;  come  back,  sister;  come  back  to-day!  The  door 
is  open,  and  there  stands  the  loving  Father.  Say  to 
Him,  “ I will  arise,  and  go  home.”  That  moment  the 
Father’s  arms  will  be  around  your  neck.  Come,  come, 
come!  Come  to  thy  loving  Father’s  arms,  come  back  to 
thy  home,  come  back  to  thy  God,  come  back  to  thy 
work,  come  back  now! 


THE  PRODIGAUS  CLIMAX. 

By  C.  H.  SPURGEON. 

There  are  different  stages  in  the  sinner’s  history,  and 
they  are  worth  marking  in  the  prodigal’s  experience. 
There  is,  first,  the  stage  in  which  the  young  man  sought 
independence  of  his  father.  The  younger  son  said: 

Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to 
me.” 

We  know  something  of  that  state  of  mind;  and,  alas! 
it  is  a very  common  one.  As  yet  there  is  no  open  pro- 
fligacy, no  distinct  rebellion  against  God.  Religious 
services  are  attended,  the  fathers’s  God  is  held  in 
reverence;  but  in  his  heart  the  young  man  desires  a 
supposed  liberty,  he  wishes  to  cast  off  all  restraint. 
Companions  hint  that  he  is  too  much  tied  to  his 
mother’s  apron-string.  He  himself  feels  that  there  may 
be  some  strange  delights  which  he  has  never  enjoyed; 
and  the  curiosity  of  Mother  Eve  to  taste  the  fruit  of  that 
tree  which  was  good  for  food  and  pleasant  to  the  eyes 
and  a tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,  comf^s  into 
the  young  man’s  mind,  and  he  wishes  to  put  forth  his 
hand  and  take  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  that  he  may  eat  thereof.  He  never  in- 
tends to  spend  his  substance  in  riotous  living,  but  he 
would  like  to  have  the  opportunity  of  spending  it  as  he 
likes.  He  does  not  mean  to  be  a profligate;  still,  he 

40 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  CLIMAX 


41 


would  like  to  have  the  honor  of  choosing  what  is  right 
on  his  own  account.  At  any  rate,  he  is  a man  now;  he 
feels  his  blushing  honors  full  upon  him,  and  he  wants 
now  to  exercise  his  own  freedom  of  will,  and  to  feel  that 
he  himself  is  really  his  own  master.  Who,  indeed,  he 
asks,  is  lord  over  him?  Perhaps  there  are  some  reading 
this  who  are  just  in  such  a state  as  that;  if  so,  may  the 
grace  of  God  arrest  you  before  you  go  any  further  away 
from  Him!  May  you  feel  that  to  be  out  of  gear  with 
God,  to  wish  to  be  separated  from  Him,  and  to  have 
other  interests  than  those  of  Him  who  made  you,  must 
be  dangerous,  and  probably  will  be  fatal!  Therefore 
now,  even  now,  may  you  come  to  yourself  at  this  earliest 
stage  of  your  history,  and  also  come  to  love  and  rejoice 
in  God  as  the  prodigal  returned  to  his  father! 

Very  soon,  however,  this  young  man  in  the  parable 
entered  upon  quite  another  stage.  He  had  received  his 
portion  of  goods;  all  that  he  would  have  had  at  his 
father’s  death  he  had  turned  into  ready  money,  and 
there  it  is.  It  is  his  own,  and  he  may  do  what  he  pleases 
with  it.  Having  already  indulged  his  independent 
feeling  towards  his  father,  and  his  wish  to  have  a sepa- 
rate establishment  altogether  from  him,  he  knew  that  he 
would  be  freer  to  carry  out  his  plans  if  he  was  right 
away.  Anywhere  near  his  father  there  is  a check  upon 
him;  he  feels  that  the  influence  of  his  home  somewhat 
clips  his  wings.  If  he  could  get  into  a far  country, 
there  he  should  have  the  opportunity  to  develop;  and 
all  that  evolution  could  do  for  him  he  would  have  the 
opportunity  of  enjoying.  So  he  gathers  all  together, 
and  goes  into  the  far  countrv. 


42 


THE  PRODIGAL 


It  may  be  that  I am  addressing  some  who  have 
reached  that  stage.  Now  there  is  all  the  delirium  of 
selhindulgence.  Now  it  is  all  gaiety,  a short  life  and 
a merry  one,”  forgetting  the  long  eternity  and  a woful 
onec  Now  the  cup  is  full,  and  the  red  wine  sparkles  in 
the  bowl.  As  yet,  it  has  not  bitten  you  like  a serpent, 
nor  stung  you  like  an  adder,  as  it  will  do  all  too  soon; 
but  just  now,  it  is  the  deadly  sweetness  that  you  taste, 
and  the  exhilaration  of  that  drugged  chalice  that  deceives 
you.  You  are  making  haste  to  enjoy  yourself.  Sin  is  a 
dangerous  joy,  beloved  all  the  more  because  of  the 
danger;  for  where  there  is  a fearful  risk,  there  is  often 
an  intense  pleasure  to  a daring  heart;  and  you  perhaps 
are  one  of  that  venturous  band,  spending  your  days  in 
folly  and  your  nights  in  riotousness. 

Ere  long  there  comes  a third  stage  to  the  sinner  as 
;well  as  to  the  prodigal,  that  is  when  he  has  spent  all.” 

We  have  only  a certain  amount  of  spending  money 
after  all.  He  who  has  gold  without  limit,  yet  has  not 
health  without  limit;  or  if  health  does  not  fail  him  in 
his  sinning,  yet  desire  fails,  and  satiety  comes  in,  as  it 
did  with  Solomon  when  he  tried  this  way  of  seeking 
happiness.  At  last,  there  is  no  honey  left,  there  is  only 
the  sting  of  the  bee.  At  last,  there  is  no  sweetness  in 
the  cup,  there  is  only  the  delirium  that  follows  the  in- 
toxication. At  last,  the  meat  is  eaten  to  the  bone,  and 
there  is  nothing  good  to  come  out  of  that  bone;  it 
contains  no  marrow;  the  teeth  are  broken  with  it;  and 
the  man  wishes  that  he  had  never  sat  down  to  so  terrible 
a feast.  He  has  reached  the  stage  at  which  the  prodigal 
arrived  when  he  had  spent  all. 


THE  PEODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


43 


Oh,  there  be  some  who  spend  all  their  character, 
spend  all  their  health  and  strength,  spend  all  their  hope, 
spend  all  their  uprightness,  spend  everything  that  was 
worth  having!  They  have  spent  all.  This  is  another 
stage  in  the  sinner’s  history,  and  it  is  very  apt  to  lead  to 
despair,  and  even  deeper  sin,  and  sometimes  to  that 
worst  of  sins  which  drives  a man  red-handed  before  the 
face  of  his  Maker  to  account  for  his  own  blood. 

It  is  a dreadful  state  to  be  in,  for  there  comes  at  the 
back  of  it  a terrible  hunger.  There  is  a weary  labor  to 
get  something  that  may  stay  the  spirit,  a descending  to 
the  degradation  of  feeding  swine,  a willingness  to  eat  of 
the  husks  that  swine  do  eat,  yet  an  inability  to  do 
so.  Many  have  felt  this  craving  that  cannot  be  satis- 
fied. But,  for  my  part,  I am  glad  when  “the  rake’s 
progress”  has  reached  this  point;  for  often,  in  the 
grace  of  God,  it  is  the  way  home  for  the  prodigal;  it  is 
a roundabout  way,  but  it  is  the  way  home  for  him. 
When  men  have  spent  all,  and  poverty  has  followed  on 
their  recklessness,  and  sickness  has  come  at  the  call  of 
their  vice,  then  it  is  that  omnipotent  grace  has  stepped 
in,  and  there  has  come  another  stage  in  the  sinner’s 
history,  of  which  I am  now  going  to  speak,  as  God  may 
help  me.  That  is  the  point  the  prodigal  had  reached 
“ when  he  came  to  himself.” 

I.  Then,  first 

A SINNER  IS  BESIDE  HIMSELF. 

"V^ile  he  is  living  in  his  sin  he  is  out  of  his  mind,  he 
is  beside -himself.  I am  sure  that  it  is  so.  There  is 
nothing  more  like  to  madness  than  sin;  and  it  is  a moot 
point  among  those  who  study  deep  problems  how  far 


44: 


THE  PRODIGAL 


insanity  and  the  tendency  to  sin  go  side  by  side,  and 
whereabouts  it  is  that  great  sin  and  entire  loss  of  re- 
sponsibility may  touch  each  other.  I do  not  intend  to 
discuss  that  question  at  all;  but  I am  going  to  say  that 
every  sinner  is  morally  and  responsibly  insane,  and 
therefore  in  a worse  condition  than  if  he  were  only 
mentally  insane. 

He  is  insane,  first,  because  his  judgment  is  altogether 
out  of  order.  He  makes  fatal  mistakes  about  alhim- 
portant  matters.  He  reckons  a short  time  of  this  mor- 
tal life  to  be  worth  all  his  thoughts,  and  he  puts  eternity 
into  the  background.  He  considers  it  possible  for  a 
creature  to  be  at  enmity  against  the  Creator,  or  indif- 
ferent to  Him,  and  yet  to  be  happy.  He  fancies  that  he 
knows  better  what  is  right  for  him  than  the  law  of  God 
declares.  He  dreams  that  the  everlasting  gospel,  which 
cost  God  the  life  of  His  own  Son,  is  scarcely  worthy  of 
his  attention  at  all,  and  he  passes  it  by  with  contempt. 
He  has  unshipped  the  rudder  of  his  judgment,  and 
steers  towards  the  rocks  with  awful  deliberation,  and 
seems  as  if  he  would  wish  to  know  where  he  can  find 
the  surest  place  to  commit  eternal  shipwreck.  His 
judgment  is  out  of  order. 

Further,  his  actions  are  those  of  a madman.  This 
prodigal  son,  first  of  all,  had  interests  apart  from  his 
father.  He  must  have  been  mad  to  have  conceived 
such  an  idea  as  that.  For  me  to  have  interests  apart 
from  Him  who  made  me,  and  keeps  me  alive — for  me, 
the  creature  of  an  hour,  to  fancy  that  I can  have  a will 
in  opposition  to  the  will  of  God,  and  that  I can  so  live 
and  prosper — why,  I must  be  a fool!  I must  be  mad  to 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


45 


wish  any  such  thing,  for  it  is  consistent  with  the  high- 
est reason  to  believe  that  he  who  yields  himself  up  to 
omnipotent  goodness  must  be  in  the  track  of  happiness, 
but  that  he  who  sets  himself  against  the  almighty  grace 
of  God  must  certainly  be  kicking  against  the  pricks  to 
his  own  wounding  and  hurt.  Yet  this  sinner  does  not  see 
that  it  is  so,  and  the  reason  is  that  he  is  beside  himself. 

Then,  next,  that  young  man  went  away  from  his 
home,  though  it  was  the  best  home  in  all  the  world. 
We  can  judge  that  from  the  exceeding  tenderness  and 
generosity  of  the  father  at  the  head  of  it,  and  from  the 
wonderful  way  in  which  all  the  servants  had  such  entire 
sympathy  with  their  master.  It  was  a happy  home, 
well  stored  with  all  that  the  son  could  need;  yet  he  quits 
it  to  go,  he  knows  not  whither,  among  strangers  who 
did  not  care  a straw  for  him,  and  who,  when  they  had 
drained  his  purse,  would  not  give  him  even  a cent  with 
which  to  buy  bread  to  save  him  from  starving.  The 
prodigal  must  have  been  mad  to  act  like  that;  and  for 
any  of  us  to  leave  Him  who  has  been  the  dwelling-place 
of  His  saints  in  all  generations,  to  quit  the  warmth  and 
comfort  of  the  Church  .of  God  which  is  the  home  of  joy 
and  peace,  is  clear  insanity.  Anyone  who  does  this  is 
acting  against  his  own  best  interests,  he  is  choosing  the 
path  of  shame  and  sorrow,  he  is  casting  away  all  true 
delight;  he  must  be  mad. 

You  can  see  further  that  this  young  man  is  out  of  his 
mind,  because,  when  he  gets  into  the  far  country,  he 
begins  spending  his  money  riotously.  He  does  not  lay 
it  out  judiciously.  He  spends  his  money  for  that  which 
is  not  bread,  and  his  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  notj 


46 


THE  PRODIGAL 


and  that  is  just  what  the  sinner  does.  If  he  be  self- 
righteous,  he  is  trying  to  weave  a robe  out  of  the  worth- 
less material  of  his  own  works;  and  if  he  be  a voluptu- 
ary, given  up  to  sinful  indulgences,  what  vanity  it  is 
for  him  to  hope  for  pleasure  in  the  midst  of  sin! 
Should  I expect  to  meet  with  angels  in  the  sewers,  with 
heavenly  light  in  a dark  mine?  Nay,  these  are  not 
places  for  such  things;  and  can  I rationally  look  for  joy 
to  my  heart  from  revelling,  chambering,  wantonness, 
and  such  conduct?  If  I do,  I must  be  mad.  Oh,  if 
men  were  but  rational — and  they  often  wrongly  suppose 
that  they  are — if  they  were  but  rational  beings,  they 
would  see 

HOW  IKRATIONAL  IT  IS  TO  SIN! 

The  most  reasonable  thing  in  the  world  is  to  spend  life 
for  its  own  true  design,  and  not  to  fling  it  away  as 
though  it  were  a pebble  on  the  sea^shore. 

Further,  the  prodigal  was  a fool,  he  was  mad,  for  he 
spent  all.  He  did  not  even  stop  half  way  on  the  road 
to  penury,  but  he  went  on  till  he  had  spent  all. 

There  is  no  limit  to  those  who  have  started  on  a 
course  of  sin.  He  that  stays  back  from  it,  by  God’s 
grace  may  keep  from  it;  but  it  is  with  sin  as  it  is  with 
the  intoxicating  cup. 

One  said  to  me:  “ I can  drink  much,  or  I can  drink 
none;  but  I have  not  the  power  to  drink  a little,  for  if  I 
begin  I cannot  stop  myself,  and  may  go  to  any  length.” 

So  it  is  with  sin.  God’s  grace  can  keep  you  abstain- 
ing from  sin;  but,  if  you  begin  sinning,  oh,  how  one 
sin  draws  on  another!  One  sin  is  the  decoy  or  magnet 
for  another  sin,  and  draws  you  on;  and  one  cannot  tell, 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


47 


when  he  begins  to  descend  this  slippery  slide,  how 
quickly  and  how  far  he  may  go.  Thus  the  prodigal 
spent  all  in  utter  recklessness;  and,  oh,  the  recklessness 
of  some  young  sinners  whom  I know!  And,  oh,  the 
greater  recklessness  of  some  old  sinners  who  seem  re- 
solved to  be  damned,  for,  having  but  a little  remnant  of 
life  left,  they  waste  that  last  fragment  of  it  in  fatal 
delay. 

Then  it  was,  dear  friends,  when  the  prodigal  had 
spent  all,  that  he  still  further  proved  his  madness. 
That  would  have  been  the  time  to  go  home  to  his  father; 
but,  apparently,  that  thought  did  not  occur  to  him. 

He  went  and  joined  himself  to  a citizen  of  that  coun- 
try,” still  overpowered  by  the  fascination  that  kept  him 
away  from  the  one  place  where  he  might  have  been 
happy;  and  that  is  one  of  the  worst  proofs  of  the  madness 
of  some  who,  though  they  know  about  the  great  God 
and  His  infinite  mercy,  and  know  somewhat  of  how 
much  they  need  Him  and  His  grace,  yet  still  they  try 
to  get  what  they  want  somewhere  else,  and  do  not  go 
back  to  Him. 

The  prodigal  had  the  ivays  of  a madman.  I have 
had,  at  times,  to  deal  with  those  whose  reason  has  failed 
them,  and  I have  noticed  that  many  of  them  have  been 
perfectly  sane,  and  even  wise  and  clever,  on  all  points 
except  one.  So  it  is  with  the  sinner.  He  is  a famous 
politician;  just  hear  him  talk.  He  is  a wonderful  man 
of  business;  see  how  sharply  he  looks  after  every  cent. 
He  is  very  judicious  in  everything  but  this,  he  is  mad 
on  one  point,  he  has  a fatal  monomania,  for  it  concerns 
his  own  soul. 


48 


THE  PRODIGAL 


Mad  people  do  not  know  that  they  have  been  mad  till 
they  are  cured;  they  think  that  they  alone  are  wise,  and 
all  the  rest  are  fools.  Here  is  another  point  of  their  re- 
semblance to  sinners,  for  they  also  think  that  everybody 
is  wrong  except  themselves.  Hear  how  they  will  abuse 
a pious  wife  as ‘‘a  fool.”  What  hard  words  they  will 
use  towards  a gracious  daughter!  How  they  will  rail  at 
the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  try  to  tear  God’s  Bible 
to  pieces!  Poor  mad  souls,  they  think  all  are  mad  ex- 
cept themselves!  We,  with  tears,  pray  God  to  deliver 
them  from  their  delusions,  and  to  bring  them  to  sit  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  their  right  minds. 

II.  Secondly, 

IT  IS  A BLESSED  THING  WHEN  THE  SINNER  COMES  TO 
HIMSELF. 

“When  he  came  to  himself.”  This  is  the  first  mark 
of  grace  working  in  the  sinner  as  it  was  the  first  sign  of 
hope  for  the  prodigal. 

It  appears  that  when  the  prodigal  came  to  himself  he 
was  shut  up  to  two  thoughts.  Two  facts  were  clear  to 
him — that  there  was  plenty  in  his  father’s  house,  and 
that  he  himself  was  famishing.  May  the  two  kindred 
spiritual  facts  have  absolute  power  over  your  heart,  if 
you  are  yet  unsaved;  for  they  were  most  certainly  alb 
important  and  pressing  truths. 

If  we  could  shut  up  unconverted  men  to  those  two 
thoughts,  what  hopeful  congregations  we  should  have. 

This  change  is  often  sudden.  There  came  into  the 
Metropolitan  Tabernacle  one  morning  a man  who  had 
not  for  a long  time  gone  to  any  place  of  worship.  He 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


49 


despised  such  things;  he  could  swear,  and  drink,  and  do 
worse  things  still;  he  was  careless,  godless;  but  he  had  a 
mother  who  often  prayed  for  him,  and  he  had  a brother 
whose  prayer  has  never  ceased  for  him.  He  did  not 
come  to  worship,  he  came  just  to  see  the  preacher  whom 
his  brother  had  been  hearing  for  so  many  years;  but, 
coming  in,  somehow  he  was  no  sooner  in  the  place  than 
he  felt  that  he  was  unfit  to  be  there,  so  he  went  up  into 
the  top  gallery,  as  far  back  as  he  could,  and  when  some 
friend  beckoned  him  to  take  a seat,  he  felt  that  he  could 
not  do  so,  he  must  just  lean  against  the  wall  at  the  back. 
Someone  else  invited  him  to  sit  down,  but  he  could  not; 
he  felt  that  he  had  no  right  to  do  so. 

The  preacher  announced  his  text, — ‘^And  the  publi 
can,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his 
eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying, 
God  be  merciful  to  me  a sinner  ”; — and  said  something 
like  this,  “You  that  stand  farthest  off  in  the  Taberna- 
cle, and  dare  not  sit  down  because  you  feel  your  guilt  to 
be  so  great,  you  are  the  man  to  whom  God  has  sent  me 
this  morning,  and  he  bids  you  come  to  Christ  and 
find  mercy.” 

A miracle  of  love  was  then  wrought.  He  came  to 
himself.  I rejoiced  greatly  when  I heard  of  it,  for  in 
his  case  there  was  a change  that  everybody  who  knew 
him  could  see.  He  became  full  of  a desire  after  every- 
thing that  is  gracious  as  once  he  practised  everything 
that  was  bad.  Now  that  is  what  sometimes  happens, 
and  why  should  it  not  happen  again  this  moment? 
Why  should  not  some  other  man  or  woman  come  to 


50 


THE  PRODIGAL 


himself  or  to  herself  now?  This  is  the  way  home,  first 
to  come  to  yourself,  and  then  to  come  to  your  God. 
‘‘He  came  to  himself.” 

Now  let  us  consider  hoio  this  change  happened.  If 
you  should  ask  me  the  outward  circumstances  of  the 
prodigal’s  case,  I should  say  that  it  took  a great  deal  to 
bring  him  to  himself. 

“ Why,  surely!  ” one  says,  “ he  ought  to  have  come  to 
himself  when  he  had  spent  all.  He  must  have  come  to 
himself  when  he  began  to  be  hungry.” 

No;  it  took  a great  deal  to  bring  him  to  himself  and 
to  his  father;  and  it  takes  a great  deal  to  bring  sinners 
to  themselves  and  to  their  God.  There  are  some  of  you 
who  will  have  to  be  beaten  with  many  stripes  before 
you  will  be  saved.  I heard  one  say,  who  was  crushed 
almost  to  death  in  an  accident, 

“ If  I had  not  nearly  perished,  I should  have  wholly 
perished.” 

So  is  it  with  many  sinners;  if  some  had  not  lost  all 
they  had,  they  would  have  lost  all;  but,  by  strong  winds, 
rough  and  raging,  some  are  driven  into  the  port  of 
peace. 

THE  OCCASION  OF  THE  PRODIGAL’S  CLIMAX, 
of  his  coming  to  himself,  was  this;  he  was  very  hungry 
and  in  great  sorrow,  and  he  was  alone.  It  is  a grand 
thing  if  we  can  get  people  to  be  alone.  There  was 
nobody  near  the  poor  man,  and  no  sound  for  him  to 
hear  except  the  grunting  of  the  hogs,  and  the  munching 
of  those  husks.  Ah,  to  be  alone!  It  is  a good  thing  for 
a sinner  sometimes  to  be  alone.  The  prodigal  had 
nobody  to  drink  with  him,  nobody  to  sport  with  him; 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


51 


he  was  too  far  gone  for  that.  He  had  not  a rag  to 
pawn  to  get  another  pint,  he  must  therefore  just  sit  still 
without  one  of  his  old  companions.  They  only  fol- 
lowed him  for  what  they  could  get  out  of  him.  As  long 
as  he  could  treat  them,  they  would  treat  him  well;  but 
when  he  had  spent  all,  no  man  gave  unto  him.”  He 
was  left  without  a comrade,  in  misery  he  could  not 
allay,  in  hunger  he  could  not  satisfy.  He  pulled  that 
belt  up  another  hole,  and  made  it  tighter;  but  it  almost 
seemed  as  if  he  would  pull  himself  in  two  if  he  drew  it 
any  closer.  He  was  reduced  almost  to  a skeleton;  ema- 
ciation had  taken  hold  of  him,  and  he  was  ready  to  lie 
down  there  and  die.  Then  it  was  that  he  came  to  him- 
self. 

Do  you  know  wh^  this  change  occurred  in  the  prodi- 
gaVs  case?  I believe  that  the  real  reason  was  that  his 
father  was  secretly  working  for  him  all  the  while.  His 
state  was  known  to  his  father;  I am  sure  it  was,  because 
the  elder  brother  knew  it;  and  if  the  elder  brother  heard 
of  it,  so  did  the  father.  The  elder  brother  may  have 
told  him;  or,  if  not,  the  father’s  greater  love  would  have 
a readier  ear  for  tidings  of  his  son  than  the  elder 
brother  had. 

Perhaps  somebody  says,  “ I wish  I could  come  to  my- 
self, sir,  without  going  through  all  that  process.” 

Well,  you  have  come  to  yourself  already  if  you  really 
wish  that.  Let  me  suggest  to  you  that,  in  order  to 
prove  that  it  is  so,  you  should  begin  seriously  to  thinks 
to  think  about  who  you  are,  and  where  you  are,  and 
what  is  to  become  of  you.  Take  time  to  think,  and 
think  in  an  orderly,  steady,  serious  manner;  and,  if  you 


52 


THE  PRODIGAL 


can,  jot  down  your  thoughts.  It  is  a wonderful  help  to 
some  people  to  put  down  upon  paper  an  account  of 
their  own  condition.  I believe  that  there  were  many 
who  found  the  Savior  one  night  when  I urged  them, 
when  they  went  home,  to  write  on  a piece  of  paper, 
.‘‘Saved  as  a believer  in  Jesus,”  or  else,  “ Condemned 
because  I believe  not  on  the  Son  of  God.”  Some  who 
began  to  write  that  word  “ condemned  ” have  never  fin- 
ished it,  for  they  found  Christ  there  and  then  while 
seeking  Him. 

You  keep  your  account  books,  do  you  not?  I am 
sure  you  do  if  you  are  in  trade,  unless  you  are  going  to 
cheat  your  creditors.  You  keep  your  business  books; 
well,  now, 

KEEP  A RECORD  CONCERNING  YOUR  SOUL. 

Really  look  these  matters  in  the  face — the  hereafter, 
death  which  may  come  so  suddenly,  the  great  eternity, 
the  judgment-seat.  Do  think  about  these  things;  do 
not  shut  your  eyes  to  them.  Men  and  women,  I pray 
you,  do  not  play  the  fool!  If  you  must  play  the  fool, 
take  some  lighter  things  to  trifle  with  than  your  souls 
and  your  eternal  destinies.  Shut  yourselves  up  alone 
for  a while;  go  through  this  matter  steadily,  lay  it  out 
in  order,  make  a plan  of  it.  See  where  you  are  going. 
Think  over  the  way  of  salvation,  the  story  of  the  cross, 
the  love  of  God,  the  readiness  of  Christ  to  save;  and  I 
think  that  while  this  process  is  going  on,  you  will  feel 
your  heart  melting,  and  soon  you  will  find  your  soul 
believing  in  the  precious  blood  which  sets  the  sinner 
free. 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


53 


WHEN  HE  CAME  TO  HIMSELF,  THEN  HE  CAME  TO  HIS 
FATHEE. 

When  a sinner  comes  to  himself,  he  soon  comes  to 
his  God.  This  poor  prodigal,  soon  after  he  came  to 
himself,  said, 

“ I will  arise,  and  go  to  my  father.” 

What  led  him  back  to  his  father?  Very  briefly  let 
me  answer  that  question. 

First,  his  memory  aroused  him.  He  recollected  his 
father’s  house,  he  remembered  the  past,  his  own  riotous 
living. 

Do  not  try  to  forget  all  that  has  happened;  the  terri- 
ble recollections  of  a misspent  past  may  be  the  means 
of  leading  you  to  a new  life.  Set  memory  to  work. 

Next,  his  misery  bestirred  him.  Every  pang  of 
hunger  that  he  felt,  the  sight  of  his  rags,  the  degrada- 
tion of  associating  with  swine — all  those  things  drove 
him  back  to  his  father. 

O,  reader,  let  your  very  needs,  your  cravings,  your 
misery,  drive  you  to  your  God! 

Then,  his  fears  ichipped  him  hack.  He  said,  ‘‘  I per- 
ish with  hunger.”  He  had  not  perished  yet,  but  he 
was  afraid  that  he  soon  would  do  so;  he  feared  that  he 
really  would  die,  for  he  felt  so  faint. 

O,  reader,  see  what  will  become  of  you  if  you  do  die 
in  your  sins!  What  awaits  you  but  an  endless  future 
of  limitless  misery?  Sin  will  follow  you  into  eternity, 
and  will  increase  upon  you  there,  and  as  you  shall  go 
on  to  sin,  so  shall  you  go  on  to  sorrow  ever-increasing. 
A deeper  degradation  and  a more  tremendous  penalty 


54 


THE  PRODIGAL 


will  accompany  your  sin  in  the  world  to  come;  therefore 
let  your  fears  drive  you  home,  as  they  drove  home  the 
poor  prodigal. 

Meanwhile,  his  hope  drew  him.  This  gentle  cord  was 
as  powerful  as  the  heavy  whip: 

“ In  my  father’s  house  there  is  bread  enough  and  to 
spare;  I need  not  perish  with  hunger,  I may  yet  be 
filled.” 

Oh,  think  of  what  you  may  yet  be!  Poor  sinner, 
think  of  what  God  can  do  and  is  ready  to  do  for  you,  to 
do  for  you  even  now!  How  happy  He  can  make  you! 
How  peaceful  and  how  blessed!  So  let  your  hope  draw 
you  to  Him. 

Then,  his  resolve  moved  him.  He  said,  I will  arise, 
and  go  to  my  father.”  All  else  drove  him  or  drew  him, 
and  now  he  is  resolved  to  return  home.  He  rose  up 
from  the  earth  on  which  he  had  been  sitting  amidst  his 
filthiness,  and  he  said, 

“I  will.” 

Then  the  man  became  a man.  He  had  come  to  him- 
self; the  manhood  had  come  back  to  him,  and  he  said, 
“ I will,  I will.” 

Lastly,  there  was  the  real  act  of  going  to  his  father; 
it  was  that  which  brought  him  home.  Nay,  let  me  cor- 
rect myself;  it  is  said,  ‘^He  came  to  his  /a//ier,”  but 
there  is  a higher  truth  at  the  back  of  that,  for  his 
father  came  to  him. 

So,  when  you  are  moved  to  return,  and  the  resolution 
becomes  an  action,  and  you  arise,  and  go  to  God,  salva- 
tion is  yours  almost  before  you  could  have  expected  it; 
for,  once  turn  your  face  that  way,  and  while  you  are  yet 


THE  PRODIGAVS  CLIMAX 


55 


a great  way  off,  your  Father  will  outstrip  the  wind,  and 
come  and  meet  you,  and  fall  upon  your  neck,  and  kiss 
you  with  the  kisses  of  reconciliation. 

This  shall  be  your  portion  if  you  will  but  trust  the 
Lord  J esus  Christ. 


“ HE  CAME  TO  HIMSELF.” 

By  W.  HAY  HITKEN. 

“ And  when  he  came  to  himself y — Luke  XV,  17. 

Here  the  sinner  is  presented  to  us  as  suffering  from  a 
species  of  moral  insanity. 

I was  once  conducting  a mission  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land, and  the  clergyman  in  whose  church  I was  preach- 
ing, received  from  an  anonymous  correspondent  one  of 
the  handbills  which  had  been  circulated  in  preparation 
for  the  mission,  with  two  words  added  after  the  words, 
A mission” — viz.:  ‘‘  for  lunatics,”  so  that  it  read,  “A 
mission  for  lunatics!”  I do  not  suppose  that  the  man 
who  wrote  those  words  had  any  particular  intention  of 
telling  the  truth,  but  it  is  startling  to  think  how  near 
the  truth  he  came. 

Perhaps,  if  we  could  see  things  as  those  bright  intel- 
ligences see  them,  who  are  permitted  to  hover  round  this 
world  of  ours,  and  to  be  witnesses  of  human  action,  we 
should  be  disposed  to  regard  this  world  of  ours  as  one 
great  lunatic  asylum.  It  must  seem  strange  to  them 
that  to  men  and  women  there  should  be  made  such  glo- 
rious offers,  that  before  their  eyes  there  should  be 
spread  such  magnificent  possibilities,  and  that  in  the 
folly  of  their  unbelief  they  should  turn  their  back  upon 
their  own  truest  interest,  and  sin  against  their  own 
souls. 


56 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


57 


Lunatics,  indeed!  There  are  dangerous  lunatics, 
frenzied  by  passion  or  goaded  by  ambition,  so  danger- 
ous that  sometimes  their  fellowduiiatics  have  to  put  a 
kind  of  restraint  upon  them,  for  fear  that  the  paroxysms 
of  their  moral  disease  should  injure  society  too  seri- 
ously. Then  there  are  harmless  lunatics,  men  and 
women  whose  lives  are  simply  insipid,  who  seem  to  be 
just  as  void  of  any  object  in  life  as  the  butterfly  that 
flits  from  flower  to  flower,  drifted  about  by  every  influ- 
ence that  happens  to  be  for  the  moment  affecting  them, 
without  any  recognition  of  the  dignity  of  their  own  be- 
ing. Then  again,  there  are  the  self-complacent  lunatics, 
the  men  and  woihen  who  are  so  particularly  self-satisfied 
that  they  can  afford  to  look  down  upon  everybody  else, 
and  persuade  themselves  that  they  are  models  of  good 
sense,  and  that  those  who  are  possessed  of  that  spiritual 
wisdom  which  comes  from  above,  are  themselves  in  a 
state  of  insanity. 

Is  it  not  so?  Is  not  that  just  the  way  in  which  self- 
complacent  men  of  the  world  speak  about  those  who 
know  something  about  the  realities  of  eternity?  Have 
we  not  heard  it  again  and  again,  till  we  are  almost  tired 
of  hearing  it,  ever  since  the  days  when  Festus  charged 
Paul  with  being  beside  himself  ”?  Did  not  that  man 
who  wrote  those  two  words  on  that  handbill  just  mean 
that  he,  in  his  own  self-complacency,  was  so  satisfied 
with  his  own  good  sense  that  he  regarded  those  who  be- 
lieved in  eternity  and  accordingly  began  to  make  prep- 
aration for  it,  as  little  better  than  fools? 

Indeed,  this  is  one  of  the  features  of  lunacy.  Go  into  a 
lunatic  asylum,  and  you  will  always  find  a large  number 


58 


THE  PRODIGAL 


of  patients  who  regard  themselves  as  injured  persons,  who 
are  suffering  not  from  their  own  disease  of  insanity,  but 
from  the  insanity  of  other  people.  There  are  some  who 
fancy  themselves  kings  upon  their  thrones,  and  their 
subjects  too  insane  to  render  them  the  honor  which  is 
their  due.  Others  who  imagine  themselves  men  of  vast 
wealth  and  possessions,  and  those  who  ought  to  be  their 
servants  too  insane  to  render  them  the  service  they  have 
a rightful  claim  to.  So,  while  they  persuade  themselves 
that  they  are  indeed  in  the  full  possession  of  their 
senses,  they  also  contrive  to  please  themselves  by  think- 
ing that  other  persons  who  are  actually  sane,  are  afflicted 
with  the  very  disease  from  which  they  are  suffering. 

Friends,  it  is  even  so  in  the  spiritual  world.  The  men 
and  women  whom  Satan  has  deluded  most  completely,  are 
just  those  who  are  the  least  conscious  of  their  own  in- 
sanity. The  disease  has  taken  so  firm  a hold  upon  their 
moral  system  that  they  believe  chat  they  are  more  sane 
than  those  who  are  living  in  the  light  of  Divine  wisdom. 
Their  view  of  the  case  is  an  exact  inversion  of  the  truth; 
and  as  long  as  this  moral  infatuation  continues,  the 
efforts  which  are  made  by  those  who  see  things  as  they 
are,  to  awaken  them  from  their  fatal  slumber,  are  re- 
garded by  these  spiritual  lunatics  as  simply  the  indi- 
cation of  mental  obliquity,  while  they  themselves,  for- 
sooth, in  their  profound  stupor  flatter  themselves  that 
they  alone  are  reasonable  beings. 

Now  this  young  man  brought  before  us  in  this  story 
is  just  the  sort  of  person  whom  the  world  would  describe 
as  a thoroughly  sensible  fellow,  I feel  sure  that  such  a 


CAME  TO  HIMSELE^^ 


69 


man  in  our  own  day  would  be  thus  described  by  his  com- 
panions. He  showed  his  sense  just  in  the  way  in  which 
men  of  the  world  show  theirs  now.  Let  us  regard  him, 
for  a few  moments,  from  this  point  of  view. 

The  first  thing  that  this  ‘‘sensible”  man  does  is  to 
feel 

DISSATISFIED 

within  himself  at  the  condition  of  dependence  in  which 
he  is  introduced  to  us.  The  father  seems  to  have  been 
in  comfortable  circumstances — perhaps  in  affluence, 
The  young  man  has  never  been  begrudged  anything. 
All  his  wants  have  been  supplied  as  fast  as  they  have 
arisen.  But  then  his  position  was  one  of  dependence, 
and  it  was  that  that  made  things  so  far  from  agreeable. 
It  was  his  father’s  way  not  to  make  him  a regular  allow- 
ance with  which  he  might  do  as  he  liked,  but  to  keep 
him  constantly  dependent  upon  him,  from  day  to  day,  as 
his  wants  arose.  He  stinted  him  in  nothing;  but  then 
it  would  have  been  so  much  pleasanter  if  the  man  had 
been  allowed  to  take  those  means  (which  were  employed 
indeed  in  his  behalf),  and  use  them  himself  as  he  liked. 
It  was  so  humiliating  to  be  dependent  upon  his  father 
for  everything.  That  this  was  the  way  in  which  the 
father  treated  the  son,  is  evident  from  the  statement  of 
the  elder  brother.  He  says, 

“Lo,  these  many  years  do  I serve  thee,  and  yet  thou 
never  gavest  me  a kid  that  I might  make  merry  with  my 
friends.” 

It  was  not  his  father’s  way  to  bestow  his  wealth  upon 
his  children,  sothat  they  might  possess  an  independent 


60 


THE  PRODIGAL 


property^but  to  supply  their  reasonable  wants  as  fast  as 
they  occurred,  and  it  was  against  this  state  of  things 
that  the  man’s  will  began  to  rebel. 

“ Why  should  not  I be  like  other  fellows?  What  a 
humiliating  thing  it  is  that  I should  be  treated  like  a 
grown-up  child!  If  I had  my  own  fortune,  to  do  what  I 
liked  with,  I should  very  soon  be  able  to  show  this  father 
of  mine  what  the  use  of  money  is,  and  how  it  should  be 
spent.  Here  I am,  dependent  upon  him  for  everything. 
I cannot  stand  it  any  longer.” 

And  so,^  like  a thoroughly  sensible  man,  he  goes  to  his 
father  and  makes  his  plea: 

Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  appertaineth 
to  me.  Why  should  I be  kept  in  this  condition  any 
longer?  I am  of  age,  and  surely  I can  judge  for  myself 
how  my  money  should  be  spent.  This  property  of  yours 
is  to  belong  to  us  one  day.  I may  as  well  have  my  share 
now,  to  do  what  I like  with.” 

The  father  does  not  refuse;  he  will  not  keep  his  son  in 
a state  of  compulsory  dependence  upon  him.  There  and 
then he  divided  unto  them  his  living.”  Observe,  he 
divides  his  living  between  both  his  sons.  It  does  not 
say  that  he  gave  half  to  the  younger  son  and  kept  the 
other  half  himself,  but  “ he  divided  unto  them  his  liv- 
ing.” 

What  became  of  the  elder  son’s  portion?  Where  did 
he  invest  it?  How  did  he  employ  it?  We  find  that 
long  years  afterwards  this  elder  son  says,  “Thou  never 
gavest  me  a kid  that  I might  make  merry  with  my 
friends.”  Ah!  the  elder  brother  had  the  wisdom  to  give 
back  what  was  his.  No  sooner  was  his  portion  of  goods 


‘^HE  CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


61 


assigned  to  him  than  he  put  it  back  again  in  safe  keep- 
ing. 

I can  fancy  him  saying  to  his  father,  “I  do  not 
want  my  portion.  I am  quite  happy.  I have  all  I 
want.” 

In  a moment  of  discontent,  at  a later  period,  he 
allows  himself  to  speak  hardly  of  his  father’s  treatment, 
but  this  eldest  son  understood  his  father  on  the  whole, 
although  for  a moment  he  might  be  unfaithful  to  the 
consciousness  of  the  benefits  of  his  position;  and  so  he 
had  the  wisdom  to  give  back  what  his  father  had  given 
to  him. 

‘‘I  do  not  want  it.  I am  perfectly  contented. 
I have  all  that  I desire.  You  have  never  grudged  me 
anything.  If  I want  anything  I can  always  come  to  you 
for  it.  You  and  I are  one.  We  are  united  together,  and 
it  is  far  pleasanter  for  me  to  know  that  all  my  life  is  in 
your  hands,  than  for  me  to  have  the  responsibility  of 
keeping  it  myself.  I might  make  mistakes:  you  have 
had  far  more  experience  than  I,  and  you  are  far  more 
likely  to  conserve  my  property,  and  to  further  my  well- 
being, than  I should  be  myself.” 

But  the  younger  son  was  a far  more  sensible  fellow 
than  that,  so  as  soon  as  he  gets  his  money,  he  makes  up 
his  mind  to  spend  it  according  to  his  own  heart’s  desire. 
Thus  the  second  thing  this  particularly  sensible  young 
man  does,  is  to  make  up  his  mind  that 

THE  EESTRAINTS  OF  HOME 

are  positively  intolerable.  He  cannot  go  on  in  this 
droning  way  any  longer.  He  must  see  something  of 
the  world.  Life  is  hardly  worth  having  under  such  con- 


62 


THE  PRODIGAL 


ditions.  He  must  break  away  from  the  restraints  of  the 
paternal  roof,  turn  his  back  upon  his  old  associations, 
and  go  forth  and  enjoy  himself.  He  has  had  enough  of 
this  hum-drum,  tedious  life.  So  like  a very  sensible 
young  man,  he  leaves  his  father’s  home,  and  goes  forth 
into  a distant  land. 

I can  fancy  it  costs  him  something  at  the  moment. 
Nobody  ever  goes  to  hell  without  meeting  with  difficul- 
ties in  the  way.  As  he  looks  into  his  father’s  face  and 
sees  the  tear  rising  in  the  old  man’s  eye — as  he  takes  a 
long  last  look  at  the  dear  old  home  where  he  had  spent 
so  many  happy  innocent  years,  I can  fancy  it  costs  him 
something.  A better  instinct  would  sometimes  assert 
itself  within  his  nature. 

“Have  you  not  been  happy?  Those  sunny  hours  of 
childhood,  what  could  have  been  more  pleasant?  If  you 
have  been  unhappy  it  has  been  your  own  fault.  If  you 
had  only  availed  yourself  of  all  the  opportunities  of  your 
position,  you  might  have  been  as  happy  as  any  man  need 
be.  Your  brother  is  a happy  man;  why  should  not  you 
have  been?” 

But  the  lower  instinct  prevailed.  His  downright  good 
commoivsense  was  stronger  than  anything  else;  so  that 
this  thoroughly  sensible  man  makes  up  his  mind  to  turn 
his  back  upon  his  father’s  house,  and  into  a distant  land 
he  goes. 

Now,  dear  friends,  before  we  follow  him  further,  let  us 
just  compare  his  case  with  ours.  Wherein  does  our 
good  sense  consist?  How  do  the  sensible  men  of  our 
own  day  emulate  the  conduct  of  this  person  whose  his- 


ms  CAME  TO  HIMSELF^^ 


63 


tory  is  brought  before  us  here?  I reply,  they  act  in 
precisely  the  same  way. 

The  first  thing  the  sinner  desires  to  do  is  to  assert  his 
own  independence.  Our  God  does  not  deny  us  things 
that  are  suitable  for  us.  It  was  a slander  of  Satan  that 
suggested  that  God  forbade  our  first  parents  to  eat  of 
the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden.  But  God  does  de- 
sire us  to  take  all  that  we  have  straight  from  His  own 
hand,  to  live  a life  of  continual  dependence  upon  Him, 
to  draw  all  our  joy  from  Him,  to  be  happy  because  we 
live  in  His  society,  and  to  find  a blessed  liberty  in  be- 
ing continually  His  servants.  This  is  the  life  God 
would  have  us  live.  Why?  Because  He  is  a tyrant? 
No;  because  He  is  a Friend.  How  does  He  show  His 
friendliness  by  imposing  such  restraints  upon  us?  Be- 
cause He  knows  that  His  service  is  perfect  freedom, 
and  that  it  is  only  as  we  yield  ourselves  up  to  His  serv- 
ice that  we  really  can  be  partakers  of  the  fulness  of  joy 
which  it  is  His  will  that  we  should  command. 

Some  sensible  men  don’t  think  so.  They  have  made 
up  their  mind  that  no  greater  evil  can  be  apprehended 
than  dependence.  What  is  the  roobsin  of  huihanity? 
The  turning  aside  of  the  human  heart  from  its  God. 
“ I will  not  have  God  to  reign  over  me.  I will  not  be 
dictated  to  by  His  will.  I will  take  my  own  way.  I 
will  run  after  my  own  desire.  I will  work  out  the  coun- 
sels of  my  own  heart.  Self  shall  be  my  ruler,  not  Je- 
hovah.” This  is 

THE  PRIME  ACT  OF  REBELLION 

which  severs  at  once  between  the  heart  of  man  and  his 


64 


THE  PRODIGAL 


God,  and  prepares  him  for  taking  the  second  step  which 
leads  him  out  of  the  Divine  presence  into  the  distant 
country. 

Are  there  not  some  of  my  readers  who  know  in  their 
own  hearts  that  this  has  been  the  sin  of  their  lifetime? 
Brethren,  have  you  been  leading  lives  of  dependence 
upon  God?  This  is  a plain  question,  is  it  not?  An- 
swer it.  Have  you  taken  your  daily  bread  as  coming 
from  His  hand?  The  pleasures  of  life — have  you  re- 
garded them  as  the  gift  of  His  love?  Life’s  friend- 
ships, life’s  joys,  life’s  privileges — have  they  all  been  so 
many  manifestations  of  His  fatherly  care?  Has  every- 
thing turned  you  Godward?  In  the  midst  of  all  the 
long  battle  of  life  have  you  been  supported  by  a blessed 
sense  of  confidence  in  Him? 

How  many  of  you  know  that  your  experience  has 
been  just  the  opposite  of  all  this:  self-assertion,  self- 
pleasing, running  after  your  own  desires,  and  gratifying 
your  own  passions — it  is  thus  that  you  have  lived.  And 
such  a life,  what  is  it,  dear  friends?  The  world  points 
to  it  and  says  it  is  the  life  of  a sensible  man.  The  an- 
gels point  to  it,  and  methinks,  if  we  could  hear  their 
testimony,  we  should  catch  the  word  upon  their  lips, 
‘‘It  is  the  life  of  a lunatic,  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit, 
who  has  blinded  his  understanding  so  that  the  man  is 
utterly  given  over  to  strong  delusion,  and  is  utterly 
deaf  to  the  voice  of  his  own  interests  as  well  as  to  the 
commands  of  God.” 

Then,  what  next?  Having  asserted  our  own  inde- 
pendence, the  next  thing  is  to  get  as  far  away  from  God 
as  possible.  We  go  into  distant  land;  we  do  not  want 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


65 


to  have  God  in  our  thoughts.  It  is  a disagreeable 
thing  to  hear  God  spoken  about.  Even  in  His  holy 
house  God  is  kept  at  a distance.  We  join  in  the  serv- 
ice, but  it  is  the  music  we  are  thinking  of,  not  of  God. 
We  listen  to  the  sermon,  but  it  may  be  the  eloquence  of 
the  preacher  that  we  are  attracted  to,  not  the  voice  of 
God  that  we  hear.  We  do  not  want  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  God;  we  keep  Him  as  far  away  from  us  as 
possible.  Why?  Because  we  have  gone  into  the  far 
country. 

This  young  man  might  have  gone  somewhere  near 
home  and  enjoyed  himself  there,  but  he  would  not  have 
been  so  comfortable  as  long  as  his  father  was  near.  He 
would  not  have  liked  his  father’s  eye  to  follow  him;  he 
wanted  to  get  away  from  all  restraint;  and  the  mere 
sight  of  his  father’s  countenance  would  have  been 
enough  to  mar  his  pleasure.  So  he  goes  into  ‘‘  the  far 
country.” 

O,  my  friend,  if,  in  the  midst  of  the  life  of  frivolity 
and  sin  which  you  are  leading,  you  were  suddenly 
brought  face  to  face  with  God,  what  a pang  of  agony, 
what  a thrill  of  terror  would  pass  through  you ! how  it 
would  mar  all  your  enjoyment  and  take  away  all  com- 
fort out  of  your  life!  You  do  not  want  to  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  God.  The  less  you  have  to  do  with 
Him  the  better.  ‘‘The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart.  No 
God.”  “Let  me  take  my  own  way;  do  not  let  Him  in- 
terfere with  my  life.”  So  it  is  that  we  go  into  the  far 
country.  Cain  went  forth  from  the  presence  of  God. 
He  went  into  the  land  of  wandering.  He  found  plenty 
to  occupy  him  there,  but  no  God  was  there.  Whatever 


66 


THE  PRODIGAL 


else  lie  had,  the  presence  of  God  was  excluded  from  his 
experience.  He  built  him  cities.  He  and  his  family 
made  discoveries.  They  got  on  in  the  world,  they  mul- 
tiplied, they  prospered.  Everything  seemed  to  go  well 
with  them;  and  yet  God  was  banished  from  their  eyes, 
and  their  whole  lives  seemed  to  be  designed  to  demon- 
strate how  well  man  can  get  along  without  God.  And 
the  end  of  it  all  was,  the  flood  came  and  destroyed  them 
all. 

Now  what  was  the  next  step  that  this  sensible  fellow 
took?  When  he  had  asserted  his  independence  and 
had  got  away  from  his  father  and  the  restraints  of 
home,  he  began  to  enjoy  himself.  He  “ wasted  his  sub- 
stance with  riotous  living.”  That  does  not  sound  very 
sensible  just  at  first,  but  there  are  plenty  of  young  men 
who  show  their  good  sense  by  pursuing  the  same 
course. 

“ Oh,”  you  say,  ‘‘we  do  not  approve  of  fellows  being 
spendthrifts.” 

Yet  you  approve  of  men  spending  something  that  is 
FAR  MORE  PRECIOUS  THAN  MONEY. 

How  have  you  been  spending  your  time?  What  have 
you  to  show  for  it?  How  have  you  been  spending  your 
influence?  You  might  have  been  using  it  for  eternity, 
and  already  there  might  have  been  a crown  of  glory  laid 
up  as  the  result  of  welhused  influence.  What  has  be- 
come of  it? 

How  have  you  been  spending  your  money?  for  we 
may  as  well  speak  of  that  too.  Some  of  you  have  been 
scattering  it  to  the  winds;  others  hoarding  it  up  in  the 
bank;  some,  laying  it  out  in  business  speculations,  and 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF'^ 


67 


the  very  gold  that  you  might  have  so  used  as  to  lay  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  has  become  the 
curse  of  your  life.  How  does  it  appear  in  God’s  sight? 
Wasted! — that  substance  of  yours  squandered,  because 
it  has  never  been  turned  to  any  really  good  purpose. 

What  shont  yom  faculties  and  poivers, — your  under- 
standing, your  affection,  your  will?  All  these  things 
are  so  much  treasure  that  has  been  put  into  your  hand. 
You  have  asserted  your  own  independence.  You  pro- 
claim yourself  master  of  all  you  possess.  What  have 
you  done  with  it  all?  Just  what  this  sensible  man  did, 
What  results  have  you  to  show  for  all  your  expendi- 
ture? You  have  been  lavish  and  profuse;  has  it 
brought  you  heart  peace,  deep  inward  satisfaction, 
calm,  undying  delight,  the  prospect  of  glory  beyond 
the  grave?  What  have  you  got  by  it?  O,  ye  men  of  the 
world,  who  have  lived  so  industriously  for  Satan,  and 
wrought  his  will  so  unweariedly,  what  wages  has 
has  he  paid  you?  Are  they  not  already  beginning  to 
overshadow  your  nature,  withering  up  your  faculties  to 
a greater  or  lesser  extent, — blighting  your  purer  and 
holier  desires, — dragging  you  down  into  a gaping  sep- 
ulchre,— winding  in  your  grave  clothes,  and  preparing 
you  as  a wasted  corpse  for  the  burial  of  eternity,  while 
you  look  sorrowfully  upon  the  lost  opportunities  and 
the  misspent  energies  of  a wasted  life. 

What  was  the  next  thing  that  this  sensible  young 
man  did?  He  formed  a great  many 

GAY  ACQUAINTANCES. 

I do  not  think  there  is  a young  man  that  lives  for  the 
world  but  will  agree  that  he  shewed  himself  to  be  a 


68 


THE  PRODIGAL 


‘^sensible”  man  in  doing  that.  It  is  just  what  you  do. 
How  many  a young  man  there  is  that  is  kept  back  from 
doing  what  he  knows  is  right  because  he  has  formed  so 
many  acquaintances,  and  is  surrounded  by  the  influ- 
ence of  his  companions?  He  would  like  to  be  different, 
but  then  he  cannot  shake  off  their  influence;  they  keep 
him  spelhbound.  How  “sensible”  you  are  to  let  those 
friends  of  yours  do  the  very  worst  that  your  worst 
enemy  could  desire  to  do  for  you!  Do  you  think  that 
really  is  “ sensible  ”? 

Take  a good  look  at  this  picture.  Does  this  young 
man,  after  all,  seem  a particularly  sensible  being? 
What  are  his  friends  doing  for  him?  Well,  they  are 
kindly  helping  him  to  get  rid  of  his  money.  He  has 
got  too  much  of  it,  and  they  are  trying  to  help  him 
squander  it.  If  there  is  a feast,  if  there  is  a scene  of 
debauchery,  a wild  revel,  he  has  only  to  hold  up  his  fin- 
ger and  he  can  get  as  many  friends  as  he  likes.  What 
does  he  gain  from  them?  He  is  giving  a great  deal 
away  for  their  sakes;  how  much  is  he  getting  in  ex- 
change? Real  friendship?  You  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  is  friendship; — that  poor,  empty,  hollow  masquer- 
ade, do  you  call  that  friendship?  Do  these  friends 
stand  by  him  for  one  moment  in  the  practical  battle  of 
life?  What  has  become  of  them  when  sickness  smites 
the  body,  or  disaster  effects  the  purse,  when  prospects 
are  blighted,  and  hopes  are  dashed?  What  becomes  of 
your  fine  friends  then?  How  readily  they  find  it  con- 
venient to  cut  you  in  the  street!  With  cold,  pitiless 
scorn,  they  pass  by  those  who  are  striken  on^  life’s  bat- 
tle-field. You  do  not  mean  to  say  that  you  have  carried 


69 


‘‘HE  CAME  TO  HIMSELF 

your  ‘‘  sense”  so  far  as  to  persuade  yourselves  that  this 
is  friendship? 

I suppose  this  sensible  man  was  flattering  himself,  in 
the  midst  of  his  revelry  and  folly,  with  the  considera- 
tion: 

‘‘Well,  I have  a splendid  retinue  of  friends  around 
me.  There  is  not  a more  popular  man  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Look  where  I will,  friendly  eyes  meet  mine, 
friendly  voices  respond  to  my  smile.  I am  a most 
fortunate  fellow  to  make  such  friends  as  these.” 

Perhaps  he  thought  so.  Yet  I cannot  help  thinking 
that  in  his  graver  moments  he  must  have  had  misgiv- 
ings. By  and  by  there  comes  a change  in  his  circum- 
stances. Somehow  or  other,  by  their  help  or  otherwise,  his 
wealth  has  been  got  rid  of,  and  he  flnds  himself,  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  alone.  Where  have  they  gone, 
those  friends  who  swarmed  around  him?  What  has 
become  of  their  blandishments?  How  is  it  that  their 
smiles  have  forsaken  their  countenances?  They  seem 
to  look  at  him  coldly  now.  There  is  a distant  saluta- 
tion. By  and  by  there  is  no  salutation  at  all,  and  in 
that  distant  famine-stricken  land  he  begins  to  find  him- 
self alone ! 

So  will  it  be,  dear  friends,  in  the  practical  experience 
of  life.  Whether  you  take  the  path  of  outward  sinner 
or  not,  and  plunge  into  profligacy  and  vice,  or  whether 
your  sins  are  of  a more  “ respectable  ” nature,  you  will 
find  plenty  of  people  to  back  you  in  them.  The  opinion 
of  society  will  be  with  you.  The  spirit  of  the  world  will 
stand  by  you  valiantly  until  the  critical  moment  comes. 
Let  sorrow  blight  your  heart,  what  about  your  worldly 


70 


THE  PRODIGAL 


friends  then?  Let  the  blinds  fall  in  your  house,  what 
consolation  can  they  offer?  Let  disaster  come,  how  can 
they  help  you?  Let  that  body  of  yours  be  stricken  with 
disease,  what  comfort  can  they  administer?  Let  death 
approach,  they  fly  in  terror.  O paltry,  miserable  friend- 
ship, can  you  do  nothing  more  than  this?  Is  it  for  such 
a friendship  as  this  that  men  will  turn  their  back  upon 
their  heavenly  Father’s  house,  and  forfeit  the  present 
enjoyment  of  their  Father’s  love,  and  participation  in 
their  Father’s  everlasting  joy? 

What  was  the  next  thing  that  this  sensible  young  man 
did?  When  his  pleasures  had  all  failed  him,  when  his 
roses  had  become  thorns,  then  he  began  to  be  sober, 
and,  like  many  sober  people,  began  to  look  about  for 
employment.  He  finds  it  rather  difficult  to  obtain  any 
employment  that  suits  him.  But  employment  he  must 
have. 

O!  how  like  many  of  our  worldly  prodigals!  when  they 
have  spent  their  youth  in  following  one  wild  excitement 
after  another — in  poor,  empty,  idle  hilarity  and  futile 
mirth — when  manhood  comes  on  with  all  its  grave  cares, 
they  begin  to  occupy  their  minds  with  business.  The 
mighty  famine  has  begun.  The  man  is  beginning  to 
find  the  emptiness  of  the  pleasures  for  which  he  has 
lived.  He  can  no  longer  enjoy  them.  The  capacity  for 
enjoyment  is  beginning  to  pass  away  from  him;  and 
now  he  plunges  into  business.  He  becomes  a slave  of 
daily  routine,  it  may  be.  His  mind  is  taken  up  with  a 
thousand  occupations.  He  begins  to  work  hard,  and  all 
to  satisfy 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


71 


THE  MORAL  HUNGER  OF  HIS  NATURE. 

He  gives  himself  up  to  money  making,  yet  that  does  not 
satisfy,  but  he  thinks  it  will.  Ho  flies  to  speculation: 
that  excites,  but  does  not  satisfy — he  hopes  it  will  He 
betakes  himself  to  domestic  occupations,  the  joys  or  the 
cares  of  family  life,  and  he  hopes  to  find  satisfaction 
there;  yet  he  does  not.  Is  Hot  that  man  a sensible 
being? 

The  mighty  famine  becomes  more  and  more  insup- 
portable, and  the  want  becomes  more  and  more  appalling. 
Our  young  friend  sits  solitary  in  the  field.  Can’t  you 
see  him?  His  clothes  are  torn  into  rags,  his  eyes  are 
sunken  in  their  sockets,  his  cheeks  are  hollow,  his  lips 
are  parched  and  cracked;  he  looks  like  the  very  effigy  of 
famine  itself.  The  swine  are  feeding  around  him.  He 
is  gnawing  at  the  very  husks  which  the  swine  eat. 

And  no  man  gave  unto  him.”  What,  no  man?  no  man,. 
Of  all  his  former  friends,  of  those  who  had  stood  by  him 
so  faithfully  as  long  as  he  had  money  to  spend  and  lux- 
uries to  ofiPer,  what!  no  man?  Not  that  boon  companion, 
not  that  friend  that  only  a few  weeks  ago  swore  that  he 
would  stand  by  him  through  thick  and  thin?  No  man? 
None. 

The  last  crust  has  been  devoured.  There  he  sits 
famine-stricken,  solitary,  the  prey  of  hunger  in  his  body, 
far  more  the  prey  of  remorse  in  his  soul!  There  he 
sits.  Poor  “sensible”  man!  that  is  what  his  common 
sense  has  brought  him  to. 

At  this  moment  a change  takes  place.  Holy  Script- 
ure describes  it  as  a change  from  insanity  to  sanity. 


72 


THE  PRODIGAL 


He  ceases  to  be  a lunatic,  and  he  begins  to  be  himself. 
“ He  came  to  himself.”  There  passes  from  him,  like  a 
horrible  dream,  that  strange  delirium  of  the  life  which 
he  had  been  leading  since  he  left  his  father’s  home,  with 
all  its  transient  circumstances,  its  fleeting  joys,  its 
gaudy  decorations,  the  poor,  empty  bubbles  that  have 
broken  in  his  grasp — it  has  all  passed  from  him  like  a hor- 
rible dream.  He  starts,  as  from  a horrible  nightmare. 
Can’t  you  see  him  as  he  springs  from  the  ground,  with 
a sudden  light  beaming  upon  his  countenance,  his  face 
turned  toward  the  home  of  his  infancy? 

What  a fool  I have  been!  My  whole  life  has  been 
one  great  mistake.  From  beginning  to  end,  I have  just 
been  adding  error  to  error  as  well  as  sin  to  sin.  I have 
thrown  away  health,  and  affluence,  and  comfort,  and 
respectability,  and  peace  of  mind,  and  innocency,  and 
reputation,  everything  worth  having — I have  lost  it 
all  1 And  here  I am,  a wreck  of  a man,  all  real  pleasure 
gone  out  of  my  life,  stricken  down  with  the  fatal  pest- 
ilence of  sin,  shrivelled  up  by  a miserable  famine  which 
reigns  within  my  nature.  What  a fool  I am!” 

O,  happy  they  who  come  to  this  conclusion  before  it 
is  too  late!  I cannot  help  fearing  that  some  of  our 
“sensible”  men  never  wake  up  from  their  dream  of 
insanity  until  the  last  awful  moment  of  their  earthly 
experiences  arrive;  and  then,  when  death  is  drawing 
near,  eternity  opening  upon  them — then  you  know, 
dear  friends,  it  is  too  late  to  “ come  to  ourselves.”  The 
agony  that  distorts  the  countenance  of  the  dying,  the 
horror  that  pales  the  cheeks  and  blanches  the  lips,  can 
never  recall  so  much  as  one  single  opportunity.  If  you 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


73 


come  to  yourself  ” on  your  death-bed,  just  when  you  are 
going  into  eternity,  it  will  simply  be  an  anticipation  of 
the  pangs  of  your  hell;  you  will  simply  antedate  the 
torments  of  remorse  which  are  already  waiting  for  you. 
Thank  God!  we  may  ‘‘  come  to  ourselves  ” now.  Hast 
thou  not  found  out  that  after  all  the  Psalmist  is  right 
when  he  says,  Man  walketh  in  a vain  shadow,  and 
disquieteth  himself  in  vain  ”?  Have  you  started  out  of 
your  death-dream  and  suddenly  discovered  that  you  are 
on  the  brink  of  eternity  unprepared,  that  you  have 
wasted  your  talents,  and  squandered  your  substance, 
and  injured  your  own  nature,  sinned  against  your  own 
interest,  and  wounded  the  heart  of  your  God? 

This  young  man  first  came  to  himself  ” with  regard 
to  the  past.  He  had  thought  previously  that  he  was  act- 
ing ‘‘sensibly”;  now  he  sees  that  he  has  been 
PLAYING  THE  FOOL. 

He  has  been  trying  all  along  to  persuade  himself 
that  he  has  really  been  enjoying  himself;  now  he 
suddenly  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  all  the  while 
he  has  been  a stranger  to  real  happiness.  He  looks  at 
those  four,  or  five,  or  six  years.  Before,  he  had  plumed 
himself  upon  the  life  he  had  been  leading;  now,  he 
scarcely  dares  to  think  of  it.  He  hides  his  face  with 
shame;  he  buries  it  in  his  hands,  as  he  sits  there  in  the 
field,  the  hot  tears  streaming  through  his  fingers — 

“What  a fool  I have  been!  What  a wretch  I have 
been!  W^hat  a base  ingrate  I have  been!  Good  God! 
wert  Thou  to  strike  me  down  with  a thunderbolt  of  dis- 
pleasure to  the  very  depths  of  hell,  it  is  only  what  I 
deserve.” 


74: 


THE  PRODIGAL 


And  he  comes  to  himself  ” with  regard  to  the  present. 
He  finds  himself 

FACE  TO  FACE  WITH  DEATH. 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  grim  spectre  draws,  the  bow 
seems  already  bent,  and  the  arrow  seems  already  fixed, 
and  in  a moment  the  fatal  shaft  may  fly,  and  his  mortal 
career  may  end  in  doom.  Face  to  face  with  death — it 
is  an  awful  thing!  He  feels  it  in  his  own  body.  That 
strange  numbness  that  is  creeping  over  him,  that  sense 
of  mortal  weakness,  that  stupor  which  has  already  been 
paralyzing  the  senses — what  is  it?  incipient  death.  His 
strength  has  passed  into  weakness.  He  can  scarcely 
totter  across  the  field.  His  haggard  form  seems  more 
fit  for  a sepulchre  than  for  human  society.  What  can 
he  do?  Whatever  he  can  do  he  must  do  quickly.  The 
tide  of  life  is  ebbing  fast;  a few  more  hours,  and  his 
opportunity  will  be  gone.  It  is  a long  way  to  the  country 
he  has  left,  a long  way  to  his  father’s  house;  if  anything 
is  to  be  done,  not  so  much  as  a moment  must  be  lost. 

And  thus  it  is  that  he  also  comes  to  himself  ” with 
regard  to  the  future.  The  future!  what  can  he  do? 
What  hope  is  there  for  him?  Has  he  not  lost  every 
chance,  and  thrown  away  every  possibility?  Nay,  it 
strikes  him  that  there  is  just 

A FAINT  RAY  OF  HOPE: 

it  seems  a very  faint  one.  Is  there  a possibility  that  he 
may  get  some  relief  from  his  friends  in  this  distant  land? 
No,  he  has  given  that  up  altogether.  Can  he  not  And  a 
better  master  somewhere?  No,  he  has  tried  all  through 
the  famine^stricken  country,  and  this  man  who  has  sent 
him  into  the  fields  to  feed  swine  is  the  best  that  he  can 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF'^ 


75 


find.  What  can  he  do?  Can  he  work  any  harder?  No, 
he  has  no  strength  left  to  work. 

Where  is  hope  to  be  found?  Where  is  that  ray  of 
dim,  uncertain  light  coming  from  ? There  rises  up  within 
his  recollection  the  memory  of  a peaceful  home,  of  calm, 
happy  days.  The  bright  sunlight  of  his  childhood 
returns  on  his  memory  like  a pleasant  dream  amidst 
the  frightful  horrors  of  his  present  experience.  Could 
he  regain  it!  could  he  retrace  his  steps,  and  get  one  more 
look  at  that  dear  old  place!  could  he  but  sit  down 
amongst  the  hired  servants”  of  his  father’s  house! 

My  friends,  he  not  only  comes  to  himself”  with 
regard  to  himself,  but  also  with  regard  to  his  father. 
He  has  taken  a wrong  view  of  his  father — a distorted 
view.  He  had  painted  him  in  the  most  repulsive  colors. 
Now  he  takes  a different  view  of  the  case,  and  comes  to 
the  conclusion  that  after  all  he  was  wrong.  He  had 
wronged  those  hoary  hairs.  The  thought  rises  in  his 
mind: 

He  loved  me.  Yes,  he  loved  me  after  all.  I saw  the 
tear  start  into  his  eye  when  I left  home.  He  wrung  my 
hand  when  I went  away  from  him,  and  his  lip  was 
quivering.  Though  I have  given  him  so  much  trouble, 
I know  he  loved  me.  He  was  never  hard  on  me.  When, 
as  a child,  I wanted  anything  reasonable,  it  was  always 
within  my  reach.  If  I had  childish  troubles,  those  kind, 
fatherly  hands  were  laid  upon  my  brow,  and  fatherly 
words  of  tenderness  were  spoken  in  my  ear.  Yes,  he  did 
love  me.  I have  wronged  him.  I had  no  right  to 
think  him  hard.  He  was  not  hard.  I wonder  if  he  is 
changed?  Years  have  passed  over  him,  years  have 


THE  PRODIGAL 


passed  over  me.  I left  him  with  a smiling  countenance. 
I i3ut  on  my  best  appearance,  and  tried  to  seem  as  though 
I did  not  care  a straw  for  leaving  him.  Perhaps  he  has 
hardened  his  heart  against  me,  and  will  never  look  at  me 
again.  Yet  perhaps  there  is  something  like  love  in  his 
heart  towards  me  still.  Surely  he  cannot  have  altogether 
ceased  to  love  his  poor,  wandering  boy.” 

So  he  starts  to  his  feet,  and  in  another  moment  the 
word  of  resolution  has  sped  forth  from  his  lips, 

‘‘  I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.” 

It  is  even  so  with  thee,  awakened  sinner.  So  soon  as 
God  begins  to  awaken  thee.  He  awakens  thee  first  of  all 
with  regard  to  the  past. 

Are  you  not  awakened  in  regard  to  the  past?  You 
used  to  look  upon  it  with  complacency;  now  you  look 
upon  it  with  horror.  You  used  to  think  well  of  your- 
self; now  you  cannot  speak  of  yourself  too  hardly. 
There  was  a time  when  you  flattered  yourself  that,  at 
any  rate,  you  were  no  worse  than  any  other  people;  now 
it  seems  as  if  you  could  not  invent  any  epithet  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  indicate  your  horror  and  disgust  at 
your  past  life.  How  is  it? 

You  are  beginning  to  “ come  to  yourself,”  too,  with 
regard  to  your  present.  You  find  yourself  face  to  face 
with  death.  Spiritual  death  has  already  grasped  you. 
Its  iron  clutch  is  on  you.  That  dread  spectre  is  looking 
you  in  the  face.  You  are  beginning  to  realize,  in  your 
own  terrible  experience,  the  force  of  the  words,  “Dying, 
thou  shalt  die!”  Do  what  you  will,  you  cannot  writhe 
out  of  the  grasp  of  that  terrible  spiritual  arrest.  “O 


^HE  CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


77 


wretched  man  that  I am ! who  shall  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death?” 

And  you  come  to  yourself  with  respect  to  the  future, 
“Is  there  a possibility  that  I can  be  otherwise?  May  I 
turn  my  back  upon  the  past?  Is  it  possible  that  a sin- 
ner like  myself  can  lead  a new  life?  May  even  I be- 
come a new  creature?”  ^ 

Then  it  is  that  the  soul  begins  to  “come  to  itself’ 
with  respect  to  the  character  of  our  heavenly  Fath- 
er, Ah!  my  dear  friends,  you  may  have  maligned  Him, 
you  may  have  slandered  Him,  you  may  have  allowed  Sa- 
tan to  misrepresent  Him  to  your  own  fancy.  You.  may 
have  conceived  of  Him  “ as  an  austere  man,  reaping  where 
he  had  not  sown,  and  gathering  where  he  had  not 
strewed.”  It  seems  as  though  you  could  not  speak  too 
harshly  of  Him.  But  all  that  has  changed,  and  you  are 
beginning  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that 

AFTER  ALL  HE  IS  YOUR  FATHER, 

that  He  has  a Father’s  tenderness,  pity  and  love;  that 
although  you  have  misrepresented  Him  so  long,  and 
, sinned  against  Him  so  grossly,  yet  there  must  be  some- 
thing in  that  heart  of  His  that  goes  out  towards  your 
misery.  Ah!  my  friend,  you  are  only  just  beginning 
to  “come  to  yourself”  about  that  Father:  but  if  you  will 
go  a little  nearer  to  that  Father’s  house,  bare  your  bo- 
som to  that  Father’s  influence,  if  you  will  expose  your- 
self to  that  Father’s  eye,  it  will  not  be  long  before  you 
will  have  a different  estimate  from  what  you  have  even 
this  moment  of  what  that  Father’s  love  really  is.  Think 
not  of  God  the  Father  as  if  He  were  unsympathetic. 


78 


THE  PRODIGAL 


Believe  what  Christ  Himself  has  taught  of  His  Father’s 
love:  ‘'God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  Son.” 

It  was  with  a trembling  step  that  the  prodigal  re- 
turned towards  home;  but,  thank  God,  we  may  lay  our 
fears  aside.  We  need  not  tremble.  We  may  feel  per- 
fectly sure  what  the  nature  of  the  Father’s  character 
is.  * 

“ He  saw  him  afar  off.”  Long  before  the  prodigal 
saw  the  father,  the  father  saw  the  prodigal.  He  must 
have  been  watching  for  him  somewhere;  standing  at  the 
window  of  his  house,  perhaps,  gazing  towards  the  dis- 
tant land,  thinking:  “Will  he  come  back,  that  wander- 
ing boy  of  mine?  Will  he  return  to  his  father’s  house? 
Is  there  chance  of  my  seeing  him  again?” 

Yes,  all  the  time  long  he  has  been  waiting  and  long- 
ing, longing  and  waiting.  At  last  he  sees  a figure  in 
the  distance.  It  does  not  look  like  the  same  bright,  hap- 
py boy  that  left  his  home  a few  years  before,  but  it  is 
the  same.  The  father’s  heart  goes  out  towards  him. 
In  another  moment  the  father’s  feet  are  speeding  to 
meet  him.  father  has  no  need  to  come  to  himself. 
He  has  been  himself  all  the  time.  His  heart  has  never 
changed,  his  love  has  never  ceased,  * his  pity  has  never 
failed.  He  flies  on  the  very  wings  of  love  to  meet  the 
poor  returning  wretch.  His  rags  do  not  repel  him. 
His  filth  does  not  drive  him  back.  Nay,  nay,  he  casts 
his  arms  about  his  neck,  clasps  him  in  the  embrace  of 
affection.  Hot  tears  stream  down  his  cheeks. 

“This,  my  son,”  he  cries  in  triumph,  as  though  he 
were  a hero,  instead  of  a reprobate,  “ This,  my  son,  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again;  was  lost,  and  is  found,” 


CAME  TO  HIMSELF 


79 


Sinner,  are  you  tired  of  that  land  of  famine?  Are 
you  tired  of  wasting  your  substance, — tired  of  living  as 
you  have  lived, — tired  of  sinning  against  your  own  in- 
terest,— tired  of  wandering  from  one  poor  folly  to  anoth- 
er,— from  one  empty  occupation  to  another?  Are  you 
tired  of  seeking  to  satisfy  the  hunger  of  your  soul  with 
the  miserable  husks  which  are  only  fit  for  swine?  If  so, 
then  yield  yourself  up  to  the  influences  of  that  blessed 
Spirit  who  would  bring  you  to  yourself  now. 

O God,  our  God,  may  the  prodigals  come  to  themselves 
now!  May  they  start  up  from  their  death  swoon!  May 
they  see  themselves  as  they  really  are!  May  they  turn 
their  backs  upon  the  land  of  their  shame,  and  may  they 
turn  their  faces  towards  their  Father’s  house!  Father 
of  spirits,  fetch  home  Thy  w^andering  ones  now.  Call 
them  by  Thy  love.  Woo  them  by  Thy  mercy.  Bring 
them  by  Thy  power.  Let  the  joyful  chorus  be,  ‘‘This 
Thy  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again;  was  lost  and  is 
found!” 


THE  PRODIGAL’S  RESOLVE. 

By  T.  DE  WITT  TALMAGE. 

There  is  nothing  like  hunger  to  take  the  energy  out 
of  a man.  A hungry  man  can  toil  neither  with  pen 
nor  hand  nor  foot.  There  has  been  many  an  army  de- 
feated not  so  much  for  lack  of  ammunition  as  for  lack 
of  bread.  It  was  that  fact  that  took  the  fire  out  of  this 
young  man  of  the  parable.  Storm  and  exposure  will 
wear  out  any  man’s  life  in  time,  but  hunger  makes 
quick  work.  The  most  awful  cry  ever  heard  on  earth 
is  the  cry  for  bread. 

A traveler  tells  us  that  in  Asia  Minor  there  are  trees 
which  bear  fruit  looking  very  much  like  the  long  bean 
of  our  time.  It  is  called  the  carob.  Once  in  a while 
the  people,  reduced  to  destitution,  would  eat  these 
carobs,  but  generally  the  carobs  spoken  of  in  this  story 
were  thrown  only  to  the  swine,  and  they  crunched  them 
with  great  avidity.  But  this  young  man  could  not 
even  get  these  without  stealing  them.  So  one  day,  amid 
the  swine  troughs,  he  begins  to  soliloquize.  He  says: 

‘‘  These  are  no  clothes  for  a rich  man’s  son  to  wear. 
This  is  no  kind  of  business  for  me  to  be  engaged  in, 
feeding  swine.  I’ll  go  home;  I’ll  go  home.  I will  arise 
and  go  to  my  father.” 

I know  there  are  a great  many  people  who  try  to 
throw  a fascination,  a romance,  a halo  about  sin;  but 

80 


THE  PRODIGAVS  RESOLVE 


81 


notwithstanding  all  that  Lord  Byron  and  George  Sand 
have  said  in  regard  to  it,  it  is  a mean,  low,  contemptible 
business;  and  putting  food  and  fodder  into  the  troughs 
of  a herd  of  iniquities  that  root  and  wallow  in  the  soul 
of  man  is  a very  poor  business  for  men  and  women  in- 
tended to  be  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty; 
and  when  this  young  man  resolved  to  go  home,  it  was  a 
very  wise  thing  for  him  to  do,  and  the  only  question  is 
whether  we  wdll  follovv^  him. 

Satan  promises  large  wages  if  we  will  serve  him;  but 
he  clothes  his  victims  with  rags,  and  he  pinches  them 
with  hunger,  and  when  they  start  out  to  do.  better  he 
sets  after  them  all  the  bloodhounds  of  hell.  Satan 
comes  to  us  to-day  and  he  promises  all  luxuries  and 
emoluments  if  we  will  only  serve  him.  Liar,  down  with 
thee  to  the  pit!  “ The  wages  of  sin  is  death.”  Oh!  the 
young  man  of  the  text  was  wise  when  he  uttered  the 
resolution,  ‘‘  I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.” 

In  the  time  of  Mary,  the  persecutor,  a persecutor 
came  to  a Christian  woman  who  had  hidden  in  her 
house  for  the  Lord’s  sake  one  of  Christ’s  servants,  and 
the  persecutor  said: 

‘‘  Where  is  that  heretic?” 

The  Christian  woman  said:  “ You  open  that  trunk 
and  you  will  see  the  heretic.” 

The  persecutor  opened  the  trunk,  and  on  top  of  the 
linen  in  the  trunk  he  saw  a glass. 

He  said:  There  is  no  heretic  here.” 

‘^Ah ! ” she  said,  ‘‘  you  look  in  the  glass  and  you  will 
see  the  heretic.” 

As  I take  up  the  mirror  of  God’s  Word,  I would  that, 


82 


THE  PRODIGAL 


instead  of  seeing  the  prodigal  of  the  text,  we  might  see 
ourselves — our  want,  our  wandering,  our  sin,  our  lost 
condition,  so  that  we  might  be  as  wise  as  this  young 
man  was,  and  say:  I will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father.” 

The  resolution  of  this  text  was  formed  in 

DISGUST  AT  HIS  PEESENT  CIEGUMSTANCES. 

If  this  young  man  had  been,  by  his  employer,  set  to  cul- 
turing flowers,  or  training  vines  over  an  arbor,  or  keep- 
ing account  of  the  pork  market,  or  overseeing  other 
laborers,  he  would  not  have  thought  of  going  home;  if 
he  had  had  his  pockets  full  of  money,  if  he  had  been 
able  to  say, 

‘‘I  have  a thousand  dollars  now  of  my  own;  what’s 
the  use  of  my  going  back  to  my  father’s  house?  Do 
you  think  I’m  going  back  to  apologize  to  the  old  man? 
Why,  he  would  put  me  on  the  limits.  He  would  not 
have  going  on  around  the  old  place  such  conduct  as  I 
have  been  engaged  in.  I won’t  go  home.  I have 
plenty  of  money,  plenty  of  pleasant  surroundings. 
Why  should  I go  home?  ” 

Ah!  it  was  his  pauperism,  it  was  his  beggary.  He 
had  to  go  home. 

Some  man  comes  and  says  to  me:  Why  do  you  talk 
about  the  ruined  state  of  the  human  soul?  Why  don’t 
you  speak  about  the  progress  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
and  talk  of  something  more  exhilarating?  ” 

It  is  for  this  reason : A man  never  wants  the  gospel 
until  he  realizes  he  is  in  a famine-struck  state. 

Suppose  I should  come  to  your  home,  and  you  are  in 
good,  sound,  robust  health,  and  I should  begin  to  talk 
about  medicines,  and  about  how  much  better  this  medi- 


THF  PRODIGAVS  RESOLVE 


83 


cine  is  than  that,  and  some  other  medicine  than  some 
other  medicine,  and  talk  about  this  physician  and  that 
physician.  After  awhile  you  would  get  tired,  and  you 
would  say: 

“ I don’t  want  to  hear  about  medicines.  Why  do  you 
talk  to  me  about  physicians?  I never  have  a doctor.” 

But  suppose  I come  into  your  house  and  find  you 
severely  sick,  and  I know  the  medicines  that  will  cure 
you,  and  I know  the  physician  who  is  skilful  enough  to 
meet  your  case.  You  say:  * 

‘‘Bring  on  all  that  medicine,  bring  on  that  physician. 
I am  terribly  sick,  and  I want  help.” 

If  I come  to  you  and  you  feel  you  are  all  right  in 
body,  and  all  right  in  mind,  and  all  right  in  soul,  you 
have  need  of  nothing;  but  suppose  I have  persuaded 
you  that  the  leprosy  of  sin  is  upon  you, 

THE  WOKST  OF  ALL  SICKNESS. 

Oh!  then  you  say:  “ Bring  me  that  balm  of  the  gospel, 
bring  me  that  divine  medicament,  bring  me  Jesus 
Christ.” 

“ But,”  says  someone,  “ how  do  you  know  that  we  are 
in  a condition  ruined  by  sin?  ” 

Well,  I can  prove  it  in  two  ways,  and  you  may  have 
your  choice.  I can  prove  it  either  by  the  statement  of 
men,  or  by  the  statement  of  God.  Which  shall  it  be? 

You  say,  “ Let  us  have  the  statement  of  God.” 

Well,  He  says  in  one  place,  “ The  heart  is  deceitful 
above  all  things  and  desperately  wicked.”  He  says  in 
another  place,  “What  is  man  that  he  should  be  clean? 
and  he  which  is  born  of  a woman,  that  he  should  be 
righteous?  ” He  says  in  another  place,  “ There  is  none 


84 


THE  PRODIGAL 


that  doeth  good — no,  not  one.”  He  says  in  another 
place,  ‘‘  As  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and 
death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that 
all  have  sinned.” 

“Well,”  you  say,  “ I am  willing  to  acknowledge  that; 
but  why  should  I take  the  particular  rescue  that  you 
propose? ” 

This  is  the  reason:  “ Except  a man  be  born  again,  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.”  This  is  the  reason: 
there  is  one  name  given  under  heaven  among  men, 
whereby  they  may  be  saved. 

Then  there  are  a thousand  voices  ready  to  say:  “ Well, 
I am  ready  to  accept  this  help  of  the  gospel.  I would 
like  to  have  this  divine  cure.  How  shall  I go  to  work?” 

Let  me  say  that  a mere  whim,  an  undefined  longing 
amounts  to  nothing,  You  must  have  a stout,  a tremen- 
dous resolution  like  this  young  man  of  the  text  when  he 
said:  “ I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.” 

“ Oh,”  says  some  young  man,  “ how  do  I know  my 
father  wants  me?  how  do  I know,  if  I go  back,  I would 
be  received?  ” 

“ Oh,”  says  some  young  man,  “ you  don’t  know  where 
I have  been.  You  don’t  know  how  far  I have  wandered. 
You  wouldn’t  talk  that  way  to  me  if  you  knew  all  the 
iniquities  I have  committed.” 

What  is  that  fiutter  among  the  angels  of  God?  What 
is  that  horseman  running  with  quick  dispatch?  It  is 
news,  it  is  news!  Christ  has  found  the  lost! 

Nor  angels  can  their  joy  contain, 

But  kindle  with  new  fire. 

“ The  sinner  lost  is  found,”  they  sing, 

And  strike  the  sounding  lyre. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RESOLVE 


85 


When  Napoleon  talked  of  going  into  Italy,  they  said: 

“You  can’t  get  there.  If  you  knew  what  the  Alps 
were,  you  wouldn’t  talk  about  it  or  think  about  it.  You 
can’t  get  your  ammunition-wagons  over  the  Alps.” 

Then  Napoleon  rose  in  his  stirrups,  and,  waving  his 
hand  toward  the  mountains,  he  said, 

“ There  shall  be  no  Alps!  ” 

That  wonderful  pass  was  laid  out,  which  has  been  the 
wonderment  of  all  the  years  since — the  wonderment  of 
all  engineers.  And  you  tell  me  there  are  such  moun- 
tains of  sin  between  your  soul  and  God,  there  is  no  mer- 
cy? Then  I see  Christ  waving  His  hand  toward  the 
mountains.  I hear  Him  say: 

“ I will  come  over  the  mountains  of  thy  sin  and  the 
hills  of  thine  iniquity.” 

There  shall  be  no  Pyrenees;  there  shall  be  no  Alps. 

Again:  I notice  that  this  resolution  of  the  young  man 
of  my  text  was  founded  in  sorrow  at  his  misbehavior. 
It  was  not  mere  physical  plight.  It  was  grief  that  he 
diad  so 

MALTREATED  HIS  FATHER. 

It  is  a sad  thing  after  a father  has  done  everything  for 
a child  to  have  that  child  ungrateful. 

How  sharper  than  a serpent’s  tooth  it  is. 

To  have  a thankless  child. 

That  is  Shakspere. 

“A  foolish  son  is  the  heaviness  of  his  mother.”  That 
is  the  Bible. 

Well,  my  friends,  have  not  some  of  us  been  cruel 
prodigals?  Plave  you  not  maltreated  our  Father?  And 
such  a Father!  Three  times  a day  He  fed  thee.  He 


86 


THE  PRODIGAL 


has  poured  sunlight  into  thy  day  and  at  night  kindled 
up  all  the  street  lamps  of  heaven.  With  what  varieties 
of  apparel  He  hath  clothed  thee  for  the  season!  Whose 
eye  watches  thee?  Whose  hand  defends  thee?  Whose 
heart  sympathizes  with  thee?  Who  gave  you  your 
children?  Who  is  guarding  your  loved  ones  departed? 
Such  a Father!  So  loving,  so  kind.  If  he  had  been  a 
stranger;  if  He  had  forsaken  us;  if  He  had  flagellated 
us;  if  He  had  pounded  us  and  turned  us  out  of  doors  on 
the  commons,  it  would  not  have  been  so  wonderful — our 
treatment  of  Him;  but  He  is  a Father,  so  loving,  so 
kind,  and  yet  how  many  of  us  for  our  wanderings  have 
never  apologized!  If  we  say  anything  that  hurts  our 
friend’s  feelings,  if  we  do  anything  that  hurts  the  feel- 
ings of  those  in  whom  we  are  interested,  how  quickly  we 
^apologize!  We  can  scarcely  wait  until  we  get  pen  and 
paper  to  write  a letter  of  apology.  How  easy  it  is  for 
anyone  who  is  intelligent,  rights  hearted,  to  write  an 
apology,  or  make  an  apology!  We  apologize  for  wrongs 
done  to  our  fellows;  but  some  of  us  perhaps  have  com- 
mitted ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  wrongs  against 
God,  and  never  apologized. 

I remark  still  further,  that  this  resolution  of  the  text 
was  founded  in  a feeling  of 

HOMESICKNESS. 

I do  not  know  how  long  this  young  man,  how  many 
months,  how  many  years,  he  had  been  away  from  his 
father’s  house,  but  there  is  something  about  the  reading 
of  my  text  that  makes  me  think  he  was  homesick. 

Some  of  my  readers  know  what  that  feeling  is.  Far 


THE  PRODIGAVS  RESOLVE 


87 


away  from  home  sometimes,  surrounded  by  everything 
bright  and  pleasant — plenty  of  friends — you  have  said : 

“ I would  give  the  world  to  be  home  tomight.” 

Well,  this  young  man  was  homesick  for  his  father’s 
house.  I have  no  doubt  when  he  thought  of  his  fath- 
er’s house  he  said: 

Now,  perhaps  father  may  not  be  living.” 

We  read  nothing  in  this  story — this  parable — founded 
on  everydaydife — we  read  nothing  about  the  mother. 
It  says  nothing  about  going  home  to  her.  I think  she 
was  dead.  I think  she  had  died  of  a broken  heart  at  his 
wanderings,  or,  perhaps  he  had  gone  into  dissipation 
from  the  fact  that  he  could  not  remember  a loving  and 
sympathetic  mother.  A man  never  gets  over  having 
lost  his  mother.  Nothing  said  about  her,  but  he  is 
homesick  for  his  father’s  house.  He  thought  he  would 
just  like  to  go  and  see  if  things  were  as  they  used  to  be. 
Many  a man  after  having  been  off  a long  while  has 
gone  home  and  knocked  at  the  door,  and  a stranger  has 
come.  It  is  the  old  homestead,  but  a stranger  comes  to 
the  door.  He  finds  out  father  is  gone,  and  mother  is 
gone;  and  brothers  and  sisters  all  gone.  I think  this 
young  man  of  the  text  said  to  himself: 

‘‘  Perhaps  father  may  be  dead.” 

Still  he  starts  to  find  out.  He  is  homesick.  Are 
there  any  readers  of  mine  homesick  for  Grod,  homesick 
for  heaven? 

A sailor,  after  having  been  long  on  the  sea,  returned 
to  his  father’s  house,  and  his  mother  tried  to  persuade 
him  not  to  go  away  again.  She  said: 


88 


THE  PRODIGAL 


‘‘Now,  you  had  better  stay  at  home.  Don’t  go  away. 
We  don’t  want  you  to  go.  You  will  have  it  a great  deal 
better  here.” 

But  it  made  him  angry.  The  night  before  he  went 
away  again  to  sea  he  heard  his  mother  praying  in  the 
next  room,  and  that  made  him  more  angry.  He  went 
far  out  on  the  sea,  and  a storm  came  up,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  very  perilous  duty,  and  he  ran  up  the  ratlines, 
and  amid  the  shrouds  of  the  ship  he  heard  the  voice 
that  he  had  heard  in  the  next  room.  He  tried  to  whistle, 
he  tried  to  rally  his  courage;  but  he  could  not  silence  the 
voice  he  had  heard  in  the  next  room,  and  there  in  the 
storm  and  darkness  he  said: 

“O,  Lord!  what  a wretch  I have  been!  What  a 
wretch  I am!  Help  me  just  now,  Lord  God.” 

And  I thought  among  my  readers  there  may  be  some 
who  have  the  memory  of  a father’s  petition  or  a mother’s 
prayer  pressing  mightily  upon  their  soul,  and  that  this 
hour  they  may  make  the  same  resolution  I find  in  my 
text,  saying: 

“I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.” 

A lad  at  Liverpool  went  out  to  bathe  in  the  sea,  went 
out  too  far,  got  beyond  his  depth,  and  he  floated  off.  A 
ship  bound  for  Dublin  came  along,  and  took  him  on 
board.  Sailors  are  generally  very  generous  fellows,  and 
one  gave  him  a jacket,  and  another  gave  him  shoes.  A 
gentleman  passing  along  the  beach  at  Liverpool  found 
the  lad’s  clothes,  and  took  them  home,  and  the  father 
was  heartbroken,  the  mother  was  heartbroken,  at  the  loss 
of  their  child  They  had  heard  nothing  from  him  day 
after  day,  and  they  ordered  the  usual  mourning  for  the 


THE  PRODIG AVS  RESOLVE 


89 


sad  event.  But  the  lad  took  ship  from  Dublin  and  ar- 
rived in  Liverpool  the  very  day  the  mourning  arrived. 
He  knocked  at  the  door.  The  father  was  overjoyed,  and 
the  mother  overjoyed,  at  the  return  of  their  lost  son. 

Oh,  my  friends,  have  you  waded  out  too  deep?  Have 
you  waded  down  into  sin?  Have  you  waded  from  the 
shore?  Will  you  come  back?  When  you  come  back, 
will  you  come  in  the  rags  of  your  sin,  or  will  you  come 
robed  in  the  Savior’s  righteousness?  I believe  the 
latter.  Go  home  to  your  God  to-day.  He  is  waiting 
for  you.  Go  home! 

But  I remark,  the  next  characteristic  of  this  resolution 
was,  it  was 

IMMEDIATELY  PUT  INTO  EXECUTION. 

The  context  says,  “ He  arose  and  came  to  his  father.” 

The  trouble  in  the  nine  hundred  and  nintymine  times 
out  of  a thousand  is  that  our  resolutions  amount  to  noth- 
ing, because  we  make  them  for  some  distant  time.  If  I 
resolve  to  become  a Christian  next  year,  that  amounts  to 
nothing  at  all.  If  I resolve  to  become  a Christian  to- 
morrow, that  amounts  to  nothing  at  all.  If  I resolve 
this  day  to  become  a Christian,  that  amounts  to  nothing 
at  all.  If  I resolve  after  I go  home  to  day  to  yield 
my  heart  to  God,  that  amounts  to  nothing  at  all. 
The  only  kind  of  resolution  that  amounts  to  anything  is 
the  resolution  that  is  immedately  put  into  execution. 

There  is  a man  who  had  the  typhoid  fever,  and  he 
said:  Oh!  if  I could  get  over  this  terrible  distress;  if 
this  fever  should  depart;  if  I could  be  restored  to  health, 
I would  all  the  rest  of  my  life  serve  God.” 

The  fever  departed.  He  got  well  enough  to  walk 


90 


THE  PRODIGAL 


around  the  block.  He  got  well  enough  to  go  over  to 
business.  He  is  well  to-day — as  well  as  he  ever  was. 
Where  is  the  broken  vow? 

There  is  a man  who  said,  long  ago:  If  I could  live  to 
the  year  1897,  by  that  time  I will  have  my  business  mat- 
ters all  arranged,  and  I will  have  time  to  attend  to  relig- 
ion, and  I will  be  a good,  thorough,  Christian.”  The 
year  1897  has  come.  January,  February,  March, — a 
fourth  of  the  year  gone.  Where  is  that  broken  vow? 

“ Oh,”  says  some  man,  I’ll  attend  to  that  when  I get 
my  character  fixed  up,  when  I can  get  over  my  evil 
habits.  I am  now  given  to  strong  drink”;  or,  says  the 
man,  I am  given  to  uncleanness  ” or,  says  the  man, 
“ I am  given  to  dishonesty.  When  I get  over  my 
present  habits,  then  I’ll  be  a thorough  Christian.” 

My  brother,  you  will  get  worse  and  worse  until  Christ 
takes  you  in  hand.  ‘‘Not  the  righteous,  sinners  Jesus 
came  to  call.” 

Oh,  but  you  say,  “ I agree  with  you  in  all  that,  but  I 
must  put  it  off  a little  longer.” 

Do  you  know  there  were  many  who  came  just  as  near 
as  you  are  to  the  kingdom  of  God  and  never  entered  it? 

I was  at  Easthampton,  and  I went  into  the  cemetery 
to  look  around,  and  in  that  cemetery  there  are  twelve 
graves  side  by  side — the  graves  of  sailors.  This  crew, 
some  years  ago,  in  a ship,  went  into  the  breakers  at 
Amagansett,  about  three  miles  away.  My  brother,  then 
preaching  at  Easthampton,  had  been  at  the  burial. 
These  men  of  the  crew  came  very  near  being  saved. 
The  people  from  Amagansett  saw  the  vessel,  and  they 
shot  rockets,  and  they  sent  ropes  from  the  shore,  and 


THE  PR0DIGAV8  RESOLVE 


91 


these  poor  fellows  got  into  the  boat,  and  they  pulled 
mightily  for  the  shore,  but  just  before  they  got  to  the 
shore  the  rope  snapped,  and  the  boat  capsized,  and  they 
were  lost,  their  bodies  afterwards  being  washed  upon 
the  beach.  Oh!  what  a solemn  day  it  was — I have  been 
told  of  it  by  my  brother— when  these  twelve  men  lay  at 
the  foot  of  the  pulpit,  and  he  read  over  them  the  funeral- 
service.  They  came  very  near  the  shore — within 
shouting  distance  of  the  shore,  yet  did  not  arrive  on 
solid  land. 

There  are  some  men  who  come  almost  to  the  shore  of 
God’s  mercy,  but  not  quite.  To  be  almost  saved  is  to 
be  lost! 

I will  tell  you  of  two  prodigals — the  one  who  got  back 
and  the  other  who  did  not  get  back. 

In  Richmond,  Va.,  there  is  a very  prosperous  and  beau- 
tiful home  in  many  respects.  A young  man  wandered  ofP 
from  that  home.  He  wandered  very  far  into  sin.  They 
heard  of  him  after,  but  he  was  always  on  the  wrong 
track.  He  would  not  go  home.  At  the  door  of  that 
beautiful  home  one  night  there  was  a great  outcry.  The 
young  man  of  the  house  ran  down  to  open  the  door,  to 
see  what  was  the  matter.  It  was  midnight.  The  rest  of 
the  family  were  asleep.  There  were  the  wife  and  chil- 
dren of  this  prodigal  young  man.  The  fact  was  he  had 
come  home  and  driven  them  out.  He  said: 

‘‘Out  of  this  house!  Away  with  these  children!  I 
will  dash  their  brains  out.  Out  into  the  storm!” 

The  mother  gathered  them  up  and  fled. 

The  next  morning  the  brother,  the  young  man  who 
had  staid  at  home,  went  out  to  And  this  prodigal  brother 


92 


THE  PRODIGAL 


and  son,  and  he  came  where  he  was,  and  saw  the  young 
man  wandering  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  place  where 
he  had  been  staying.  The  young  man  who  had  kept 
his  integrity  said  to  the  older  brother: 

“ Here,  what  does  all  this  mean?  What  is  the  matter 
with  you?  Why  do  you  act  in  this  way?  ” 

The  prodigal  looked  at  him  and  said:  ‘‘  Who  am  I? 
Who  do  you  take  me  to  be?  ” 

He  said,  “ You  are  my  brother.” 

‘‘No,  I am  not.  I am  a brute.  Have  you  seen  any- 
thing of  my  wife  and  children?  Are  they  dead?  I 
drove  them  out  last  night  in  the  storm.  I am  a brute. 
John,  do  you  think  there  is  any  help  for  me?  Do  you 
think  I will  ever  get  over  this  life  of  dissipation?” 
He  added:  “John,  there  is  one  thing  that  will  stop 
this.” 

The  prodigal  ran  his  fingers  across  his  throat,  and 
said:  “That  will  stop  it,  and  I will  stop  it  before  night. 
Oh,  my  brain!  I can  stand  it  no  longer.” 

That  prodigal  never  got  home.  But  I will  tell  you  of 
another  prodigal  that  did  get  home. 

In  England  two  young  men  started  from  their  father’s 
house  and  went  down  to  Portsmouth — I have  been  there 
— a beautiful  s eaport.  The  father  could  not  pursue  his 
children — for  some  reason  he  could  not  leave  home — 
and  so  he  wrote  a letter  to  Mr.  Griffin,  saying: 

“ Mr.  Griffin,  I wish  you  would  go  and  see  my  two 
sons.  They  have  arrived  in  Portsmouth,  and  they  are 
going  to  take  ship  and  are  going  away  from  home.  I 
wish  you  would  persuade  them  to  come  back.” 

Mr.  Griffin  went  and  tried  to  persuade  them  to  re- 


THE  PRODIGAVS  RESOLVE 


93 


turn.  He  succeeded  with  one.  He  went  with  very  easy 
persuasion,  because  he  was  very  homesick  already. 

The  other  young  man  said:  will  not  go.  I have 

had  enough  of  home.  I’ll  never  go  home.” 

“ Well,”  said  Mr.  Griffin,  then  if  you  won’t  go  home, 
I’ll  get  you  a respectable  position  on  a respectable 
ship.” 

‘‘No,  you  won’t,”  said  the  prodigal.  “ No,  you  won’t. 
I’m  going  as  a common  sailor;  that  will  plague  my 
father  most  and  what  will  do  most  to  tantalize  and 
worry  him  will  please  me  best.” 

Years  passed  on,  and  Mr.  Griffin  was  seated  in  liis 
study  one  day  when  a messenger  came  to  him,  saying 
there  was  a young  man  in  irons  on  a ship  at  the  dock, 
condemned  to  death,  and  he  wished  to  see  this  clergy- 
man. Mr.  Grifiin  went  down  to  the  dock  and  went  on 
shipboard. 

The  young  man  said  to  him:  “ You  don’t  know  me, 
do  you?  ” 

“ No,”  said  he,  “ I don’t  know  you.” 

“ Don’t  you  remember  that  young  man  you  tried  to 
persuade  to  go  home,  and  he  wouldn’t  go?  ” 

“ Oh,  yes,”  said  Mr.  Griffin,  “ are  you  that  man?  ” 

“ Yes,  I am  that  man,”  said  the  other.  “ I would  like 
to  have  you  pray  for  me.  I have  committed  murder, 
and  I must  die;  but  I don’t  want  to  go  out  of  this  world 
until  some  one  prays  for  me.  You  are  my  father’s 
friend,  and  I would  like  to  have  you  pray  for  me.” 

Mr.  Griffin  went  from  judicial  authority  to  judicial 
authority  to  get  that  young  man’s  pardon.  He  slept 
not  night  or  day.  He  went  from  influential  person  to 


94: 


THE  PRODIGAL 


influential  person,  until  in  some  way  he  got  that  young 
man’s  pardon.  He  came  down  on  the  dock,  and  as  he 
arrived  with  the  pardon,  the  father  came.  He  had  heard 
that  his  son,  under  a disguised  name,  had  committed  a 
crime,  and  was  going  to  be  put  to  death.  So  Mr.  Grif- 
fin and  the  father  went  on  the  ship’s  deck,  and  at  the 
very  moment  Mr.  GriflSn  offered  the  pardon  to  the  young 
man  the  old  father  threw  his  arms  around  his  son’s 
neck.  • 

Th^  son  said:  “ Father,  I have  done  very  wrong,  and 
I am  very  sorry.  I wish  I had  never  broken  your  heart. 
I am  very  sorry.” 

“Oh,”  said  the  father,  “don’t  mention  it!  It  won’t 
make  any  difference  now.  It  is  all  over.  I forgive  you, 
my  son,”  and  he  kissed  him  and  kissed  him  and  kissed 
him. 

Now,  I offer  you  the  pardon  of  the  gospel — full  par- 
don, free  pardon.  I do  not  care  what  your  crime  has 
been.  Though  you  say  you  have  committed  a crime 
against  God,  against  your  own  soul,  against  your  fellow- 
men,  against  your  family,  against  the  day  of  judgment, 
against  the  cross  of  Christ — whatever  your  crime  has 
been,  here  is  pardon,  full  pardon;  and  the  very  moment 
you  take  that  pardon,  your  Heavenly  Father  throws  His 
arms  round  about  you  aud  says: 

“My  son,  I forgive  you.  It  is  all  right.  You  are  as 
much  in  my  favor  now  as  if  you  had  never  sinned.” 

Oh,  there  is  joy  on  earth  and  joy  in  heaven!  Who 
will  take  the  Father’s  embrace? 


THE  TURNING  POINT. 

By  C.  H.  SPURGEON. 

‘‘And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.” 

This  sentence  expresses  the  true  turning  point  in  the 
prodigal’s  life  story.  Many  other  matters  led  up  to  it, 
and  before  he  came  to  it  there  was  much  in  him  that  was 
very  hopeful;  but  this  was  the  point  itself,  and  had  he 
never  reached  it  he  would  have  remained  a prodigal,  but 
would  never  have  been  the  prodigal  restored,  and  his  life 
would  have  been  a warning  rather  than  instruction  to  us. 
“ He  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.” 

I.  HERE  WAS  ACTION. 

He  arose,  and  came  to  Ms  father!^  He  had  already 
been  in  a state  of  thoughtfulness;  he  had  come  to  him- 
self, but  now  he  was  to  go  further,  and  come  to  his 
father.  He  had  considered  the  past,  and  weighed  it  up, 
and  seen  the  hollowness  of  all  the  world’s  pleasures;  he 
had  seen  his  condition  in  reference  to  his  father,  and  his 
prospects  if  he  remained  in  the  far  off  country;  he  had 
thought  upon  what  he  ought  to  do,  and  what  would  be 
the  probable  result  of  such  a course ; but  now  he  passed 
beyond  the  dreaminess  of  thought  into  matter-of-fact 
acting  and  doing. 

How  long  will  it  be,  dear  reader,  before  you  will  do 
the  same?  We  are  glad  to  have  you  thoughtful;  we 
hope  that  a great  point  is  gained  when  you  are  led  to 

95 


96 


THE  PRODIGAL 


consider  your  ways,  to  ponder  your  condition,  and  to 
look  earnestly  into  the  future,  for  thoughtlessness  is  the 
ruin  of  many  a traveller  to  eternity,  and  by  its  means 
the  lip  wary  fall  into  the  deep  pit  of  carnal  security  and 
perish  therein.  But  some  of  you  have  been  among  the 
thoughtful”  quite  long  enough;  it  is  time  you  passed 
into  a more  practical  stage.  It  is  high  time  that  you 
came  to  action.  It  would  have  been  better  if  you  had  act- 
ed already;  for,  in  the  matter  of  reconciliation  to  God,  first 
thoughts  are  best.  When  a man’s  life  hangs  on  a thread, 
and  hell  is  just  before  him,  his  path  is  clear,  and  a sec- 
ond thought  is  superfluous.  The  first  impulse  to  escape 
from  danger  and  lay  hold  on  Christ  is  that  which  you 
would  be  wise  to  follow.  Some  of  you  whom  I now  ad- 
dress have  been  thinking,  and  thinking,  and  thinking, 
till  I fear  you  will  think  yourselves  into  perdition.  May 
you,  by  divine  grace,  be  turned  from  thinking  to  be- 
lieving, or  else  your  thoughts  will  become  the  undying 
worm  of  your  torment. 

The  prodigal  had  also  passed  beyond  mere  regret. 
He  was  deeply  grieved  that  he  had  left  his  father’s 
house.  He  lamented  his  lavish  expenditure  upon  wan- 
tonness and  revelling.  He  mourned  that  the  son  of  such 
a father  should  be  degraded  into  a swineherd  in  a foreign 
land.  But  he  now  proceeded  from  regret  to  repentance, 
and  bestirred  himself  to  escape  from  the  condition  over 
which  he  mourned. 

What  is  the  use  of  regret  if  we  continue  in  sin?  By 
all  means  pull  up  the  sluices  of  your  grief  if  the  floods 
will  turn  the  wheel  of  action,  but  you  may  as  well  re- 
serve your  tears,  if  they  mean  no  more  than  idle  senti- 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


97 


mentalism.  What  avails  it  for  a man  to  say  he  repents 
of  his  misconduct  if  he  still  perseveres  in  it?  We  are 
glad  when  sinners  regret  their  sin  and  mourn  the  condi- 
tion into  which  sin  has  brought  them,  but  if  they  go  no 
further,  their  regrets  will  only  prepare  them  for  eternal 
remorse.  Had  the  prodigal  become  inactive  through 
despondency,  or  stolid  through  sullen  grief,  he  must  have 
perished,  far  away  from  his  father’s  home,  as  it  is  to  be 
feared  many  will  whose  sorrow  for  sin  leads  them  into 
a proud  unbelief  and  wilful  despair  of  God’s  love;  but 
he  was  wise,  for  he  shook  off  the  drowsiness  of  his  de- 
spondency, and,  with  resolute  determination,  arose  and 
came  to  his  father.”  Oh,  when  will  you  sad  ones  be  wise 
enough  to  do  the  same?  When  will  your  thinking  and 
your  sorrowing  give  place  to  practical  obedience  to  the 
gospel? 

The  prodigal  also  pressed  beyond  mere  resolving. 
That  is  a sweet  verse  which  says,  will  arise,”  but  that 
is  far  better  which  says,  ‘^And  he  arose.”  Resolves  are 
good,  like  blossoms;  but  actions  are  better,  for  they  are 
the  fruits.  We  are  glad  to  hear  from  you  the  resolu- 
tion, ‘‘  I will  turn  to  God,”  but  holy  angels  in  heaven  do 
not  rejoice  over  resolutions,  they  reserve  their  music  for 
sinners  who  actually  repent. 

Many  like  the  son  in  the  parable  have  said,  “ I go,  sir,” 
but  they  have  not  gone.  They  are  as  ready  at  forgetting 
as  they  are  at  resolving.  Every  earnest  sermon,  every 
death  in  their  family,  every  funeral  knell  for  a neighbor, 
every  pricking  of  conscience,  every  touch  of  sickness, 
sets  them  resolving  to  amend,  but  their  promissory  notes 
are  never  honored,  their  repentance  ends  in  words.  Their 


98 


THE  PRODIGAL 


goodness  is  as  the  dew,  which  at  early  dawn  hangs  each 
blade  of  grass  with  gems,  but  leaves  the  fields  all  parched 
and  dry  when  the  sun’s  burning  heat  is  poured  upon  the 
pasture.  They  mock  their  friends  and  trifie  with  their 
own  souls. 

Have  you  not  dallied  long  enough?  Have  you  not 
lied  unto  God  sufficiently?  Should  you  not  now  give 
over  resolving  and  proceed  to  the  solemn  business  of 
your  souls  like  men  of  common  sense?  You  are  in  a 
sinking  vessel,  and  the  life^boat  is  near,  but  your  mere 
resolve  to  enter  it  will  not  prevent  your  going  down  with 
the  sinking  craft.  As  sure  as  you  are  a living  man,  you 
will  drown  unless  you  take  the  actual  leap  for  life. 

“ He  arose  and  came  to  his  father.”  Now,  observe  that 
ihis  action  of  the  prodigal  was  immediate,  and  without 
further  parley.  He  did  not  go  back  to  the  citizen  of 
that  country  and  say: 

“Will  you  raise  my  wages?  If  not,  I must  leave.” 

Had  he  parleyed  he  had  been  lost;  but  he  gave  his  old 
master  no  notice;  he  cancelled  his  indentures  by  running 
away. 

I would  that  every  sinner  who  reads  this  would  break 
their  league  with  death  and  violate  their  covenant  with 
with  hell,  by  escaping  for  their  lives  to  Jesus,  who  re- 
ceives all  such  runaways.  We  want  neither  leave  nor  li- 
cense for  quitting  the  service  of  sin  and  Satan,  neither 
is  it  a subject  which  demands  a month’s  consideration: 
in  this  matter  instantaneous  action  is  the  surest  wisdom 
Lot  did  not  stop  to  consult  the  king  of  Sodom  as  to 
whether  he  might  quit  his  dominions,  neither  did  he 
consult  the  parish  officers  as  to  the  propriety  of  speedily 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


99 


deserting  liis  home;  but  with  the  angel’s  hand  pressing 
them,  he  and  his  fled  from  the  city.  Nay,  one  fled  not; 
she  looked  and  lingered,  and  that  lingering  cost  her  her 
life ! That  pillar  of  salt  is  the  eloquent  monitor  to  us  to 
avoid  delays  when  we  are  bidden  to  flee  for  our  lives. 
Sinner,  dost  thou  wish  to  be  a pillar  of  salt?  Wilt  thou 
halt  between  two  opinions,  until  God’s  anger  shall  doom 
thee  to  flnal  impenitence?  Wilt  thou  trifle  with  mercy 
till  justice  smite  thee?  Up,  man,  and  while  thy  day  of 
grace  continues,  fly  thou  into  the  arms  of  love! 

The  text  implies  that  the  prodigal  aroused  himself, 
and  put  forth  all  his  energies.  It  is  said,  he  arose.^'^ 
He  had  till  then  been  asleep  upon  the  bed  of  sloth,  or 
the  couch  of  presumption. 

Men  are  not  saved  between  sleeping  and  waking. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the  vi- 
olent take  it  by  force.”  Grace  does  not  stupefy  us,  it 
but  arouses  us.  Surely,  it  is  worth  while  making  an 
awful  effort  to  escape  from  eternal  wrath.  It  is  worth 
while  summoning  up  every  faculty  and  power  and  emo- 
tion and  passion  of  your  being,  and  saying  to  yourself, 
cannot  be  lost;  I will  not  be  lost;  I am  resolved 
that  I will  And  mercy  through  Jesus  Christ.” 

The  worst  of  it  is,  O sinners,  ye  are  so  sluggish,  so  indif- 
ferent, so  ready  to  let  things  happen  as  they  may.  Sin  has 
bewitched  and  benumbed  you.  You  sleep  as  on  beds  of 
down  and  forget  that  you  are  in  danger  of  hell  Are. 
You  cry,  ‘‘A  little  more  rest,  and  a little  more  slumber, 
and  a little  more  folding  of  the  arms  to  sleep,”  and  so 
you  sleep  on,  though  your  damnation  slumbereth  not. 
Would  to  God  you  could  be  awakened!  It  is  not  in  the 


100 


THE  PRODIGAL 


power  of  my  words  to  arouse  you;  but  may  the  Lord 
Himself  alarm  you,  for  never  were  men  more  in  danger. 
Let  but  your  breath  fail,  or  your  blood  pause,  and  you 
are  lost  forever.  Frailer  than  a cobweb  is  that  life  on 
which  your  eternal  destiny  depends.  If  you  were  wise, 
you  would  not  give  sleep  to  your  eyes  nor  slumber  to 
your  eyelids  till  you  had  found  your  God  and  been  for- 
given. Oh,  when  will  you  come  to  a real  action?  How 
long  will  it  be  ere  you  believe  in  Jesus?  How  long  will 
you  sport  between  the  jaws  of  hell?  How  long  dare 
you  provoke  the  living  God? 

II.  Secondly, 

HERE  WAS  A SOUL  COMING  INTO  ACTUAL  CONTACT  WITH 

GOD, — 

He  arose  and  came  to  his  father.^’*  It  would  have 
been  of  no  avail  for  him  to  have  arisen  if  he  had  not 
come  to  his  father.  This  is  what  the  sinner  has  to  do, 
and  what  the  Spirit  enables  him  to  do:  namely,  to  come 
straight  away  to  his  God.  It  will  be  a grand  day  for 
you,  O sinner,  when  you  do  the  same.  Go  personally, 
directly,  and  at  once  to  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Alas!  there  are  many  anxious  souls  who  look  to  them- 
selves. They  sit  down  and  cry, 

want  to  repent;  I want  to  feel  my  need;  I want  to 
be  humble.” 

O man,  get  up!  What  are  you  at?  Leave  yourself 
and  go  to  your  father. 

Oh,  but  I have  so  little  hope;  my  faith  is  very  weak, 
and  I am  full  of  fears.” 

What  matter  your  hopes  or  your  fears  while  you  are 
away  from  your  Father?  Your  salvation  does  not  lie 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


101 


within  yourself,  but  in  the  Lord’s  good  will  to  you. 
You  will  never  be  at  peace  till,  leaving  all  your  doubts 
and  your  hopes,  you  come  to  your  God  and  rest  in  His 
bosom. 

“ Oh,  but  I want  to  conquer  my  propensities  to  sin,  I 
want  to  master  my  strong  temptations.” 

I know  what  it  is  you  want.  You  want  the  best  robe 
without  your  Father’s  giving  it  to  you,  and  shoes  on 
your  feet  of  your  own  procuring,  You  do  not  like  go- 
ing in  a beggar’s  suit  and  receiving  all  from  the  Lord’s 
loving  hand.  But  this  pride  of  yours  must  be  given  up, 
and  you  must  get  away  to  God,  or  perish  forever.  You 
must  forget  yourself,  or  only  remember  yourself  so  as  to 
feel  that  you  are  bad  throughout,  and  no  more  worthy 
to  be  called  God’s  son.  Give  yourself  up  as  a sinking 
vessel  that  is  not  worth  pumping,  but  must  be  left  to  go 
down,  and  get  you  into  the  life-boat  of  free  grace. 
Think  of  God  your  Father,  and  of  His  dear  Son,  the 
one  Mediator  and  Redeemer  of  the  sons  of  men.  There 
is  your  hope — to  fly  away  from  self  and  to  reach  your 
Father. 

Sinner,  your  business  is  with  God.  Hasten  to  Him 
at  once.  You  have  nothing  to  do  with  yourself,  or  your 
own  doings,  or  what  others  can  do  for  you.  The  turn- 
ing point  of  salvation  is,  “ he  arose  and  came  to  his 
father.”  There  must  be  a real,  living,  earnest,  contact 
of  your  poor  guilty  soul  with  God,  a recognition  that 
there  is  a God,  and  that  God  can  be  spoken  to,  and  an 
actual  speech  of  your  soul  to  Him  through  J esus  Christ, 
for  it  is  only  God  in  Christ  Jesus  that  is  accessible  at 
all.  Going  thus  to  God,  we  tell  Him  that  we  are  all 


102 


THE  PRODIGAL 


wrong,  and  want  to  be  set  right;  we  tell  Him  we  wish  to 
be  reconciled  to  Him,  and  are  ashamed  that  we  should 
have  sinned  against  Him;  we  then  put  our  trust  in  His 
Son,  and  we  are  saved.  O soul,  go  to  God:  it  matters 
not  though  the  prayer  you  come  with  may  be  a very 
broken  prayer,  or  even  if  it  has  mistakes  in  it,  as  the 
prodigal’s  prayer  had  when  he  said,  ‘‘  Make  me  as  one 
of  thy  hired  servants”;  the  language  of  the  prayer  will 
not  signify  so  long  as  you  really  approach  to  God. 
“ Him  that  cometh  to  me,”  says  Jesus,  “ I will  in  no 
wise  cast  out”;  and  Jesus  ever  liveth  to  make  interces- 
sion for  them  that  come  to  God  through  Him. 

III.  Now,  thirdly, 

IN  THAT  ACTION  THERE  WAS  AN  ENTIRE  YIELDING  UP 
OF  HIMSELF. 

In  the  prodigal’s  case,  his  proud  independence  and  self- 
will  were  gone.  In  other  days  he  demanded  his  por- 
tion, and  resolved  to  spend  it  as  he  pleased;  but  now  he 
is  willing  to  be  as  much  under  rule  as  a hired  servant. 
He  has  had  enough  of  being  his  own  master,  and  is 
weary  of  the  distance  from  God  which  self-will  always 
creates.  He  longs  to  get  into  a child’s  true  place, 
namely,  that  of  dependence  and  loving  submission. 
The  great  mischief  of  all  was  his  distance  from  his 
father,  and  he  now  feels  it  to  be  so.  His  great  thought 
is  to  remove  that  distance  by  humbly  returning,  for 
then  he  feels  that  all  other  ills  will  come  to  an  end. 
He  yields  up  his  cherished  freedom,  his  boasted  inde- 
pendence, his  liberty  to  think  and  do  and  say  whatever 
he  chose,  and  he  longs  to  come  under  loving  rule  and 
wise  guidance. 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


103 


Sinner,  are  you  ready  for  this?  If  so,  come  and  wel- 
come; your  heavenly  Father  longs  to  press  you  to  His 
bosom ! 

He  gave  up  all  idea  of  self- justification,  for  he  said, 
‘‘  I have  smncd.” 

Before  he  would  have  said,  “ I have  a right  to  do  as  I 
like  with  my  own.  Who  is  to  dictate  how  I shall  spend 
my  own  money?  If  I do  sow  a few  wild  oats,  every 
young  man  does  the  same.  I have  been  very  generous, 
if  nothing  else;  nobody  can  call  me  greedy.  I am  no 
hypocrite.” 

But  now  the  prodigal  boasts  no  longer.  Not  a syllable 
of  self-praise  falls  from  his  lips;  he  mournfully  con- 
fesses, I have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee.” 

Sinner,  if  you  would  be  saved,  you  also  must  come 
down  from  your  high  places,  and  acknowledge  your 
iniquity.  Confess  that  you  have  done  wrong,  and  do 
not  try  to  extenuate  your  offence;  do  not  offer  apologies 
and  make  your  case  better  than  it  is,  but  humbly  plead 
guilty  and  leave  your  soul  in  Jesus’  hands.  Of  two 
things,  to  sin  or  to  deny  the  sin,  probably  to  deny  the 
sin  is  the  worse  of  the  two,  and  shows  a blacker  heart. 

Acknowledge  your  fault,  man,  and  tell  your  heavenly 
Father  that  if  it  were  not  for  His  mercy  you  would  have 
been  in  hell,  and  that  as  it  is  you  richly  deserve  to  be 
there  even  now.  Make  your  case  rather  blacker  than  it 
is,  if  you  can;  this  I say  because  I know  you  cannot  do 
any  such  thing.  When  a man  is  in  the  hospital  it 
cannot  be  of  any  service  to  him  to  pretend  to  be  better 
than  he  is;  he  will  not  receive  any  more  medical  atten- 
tion on  that  account,  but  rather  the  other  way,  for  the 


104 


THE  PRODmAL 


worse  his  case  the  more  likely  is  the  physician  to  give 
him  special  notice.  Oh,  sinner,  lay  bare  before  God  thy 
sores,  thy  putrifying  sores  of  sin,  the  horrid  ulcers  of 
thy  deep  depravity,  and  cry,  “ O Lord,  have  mercy  upon 
me!”  This  is  the  way  of  wisdom.  Have  done  with 
pride  and  self-righteousness,  and  make  thy  appeal  to 
the  undeserved  pity  of  the  Lord,  and  thou  wilt  speed. 

The  penitent  also  yielded  up  all  his  supposed  rights 
and  claims  upon  his  father,  saying, 

‘‘  I am  not  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.” 

He  might  have  said,  “ I have  sinned,  but  still  I am 
thy  child,”  and  most  of  us  would  have  thought  it  a very 
justifiable  argument;  but  he  does  not  say  so,  he  is  too 
humble  for  that.  He  owns,  I am  no  more  worthy  to 
be  called  thy  son.” 

A sinner  is  really  broken  down  when  he  acknowledges 
that  if  God  would  have  no  mercy  on  him,  but  cast  him 
away  for  ever,  it  would  be  no  more  than  justice.  That 
soul  is  not  far  from  peace  which  has  ceased  arguing  and 
submits  to  the  sentence.  Oh,  sinner,  I urge  thee,  if 
thou  wouldst  find  speedy  rest,  go  and  throw  thyself  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross  where  God  meets  such  as  thou  art, 
and  say, 

‘‘  Lord,  here  I am;  do  what  thou  wilt  with  me.  Never 
a word  of  excuse  will  1 offer,  nor  one  single  plea  by  way 
of  extenuation.  I am  a mass  of  guilt  and  misery,  but 
pity  me,  oh,  pity  me!  No  rights  or  claims  have  I.  I 
have  forfeited  the  rights  of  creatureship  by  becoming  a 
rebel  against  Thee.  I am  lost  and  utterly  undone  before 
the  bar  of  Thy  justice.  From  that  justice  I flee  and  hide 
myself  in  the  wounds  of  Thy  Son.  According  to  the 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


105 


multitude  of  Thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my  transgres- 
sions! ” 

IV.  Notice  further,  and  fourthly,  that 
IN  THIS  ACT  THERE  WAS  A MEASURE  OF  FAITH  IN  HIS 
FATHER 

— a measure,  I say,  meaning  thereby  not  much  faith,  but 
some.  A little  faith  saves  the  soul. 

There  was  faith  in  his  father’s  power.  He  said,  “ In 
my  father’s  house  there  is  bread  enough  and  to  spare.” 

Sinner,  dost  thou  not  believe  that  God  is  able  to  save 
thee;  that  through  Jesus  Christ  He  is  able  to  supply  thy 
soul’s  needs?  Canst  thou  not  get  as  far  as  this,  Lord, 
if  thou  wilt  thou  canst  make  me  clean  ”? 

The  prodigal  had  also  some  faith  in  his  father’s 
readiness  to  pardon;  for  if  he  had  not  so  hoped,  he 
would  never  have  returned  to  his  father  at  all;  if  he  had 
been  sure  that  his  father  would  never  smile  upon  him, 
he  would  never  have  returned  to  him. 

Sinner,  do  believe  that  God  is  merciful,  for  so  He  is. 
Believe,  through  Jesus  Christ,  that  He  willeth  not  the 
death  of  the  sinner,  but  had  rather  that  he  should  turn 
to  Him  and  live;  for  as  surely  as  God  liveth,  this  is 
truth,  and  do  not  thou  believe  a lie  concerning  thy  God. 
The  Lord  is  not  hard  or  harsh,  but  He  rejoices  to  pardon 
great  transgressions. 

Ah,  poor  sinner,  dost  thou  not  believe  that  God  will 
have  mercy  on  thee  if  He  can  do  so  consistently  with 
His  justice?  If  thou  believest  that,  I have  good  news  to 
tell  thee.  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  has  offered  such  an 
atonement  that  God  can  be  just,  and  yet  the  justifier  of 
him  that  believeth.  He  has  mercy  upon  the  vilest,  and 


106 


THE  PRODIGAL 


justifietli  the  ungodly,  and  accepteth  the  very  chief  of 
sinners  through  His  dear  Son.  Oh,  soul,  have  faith  in 
the  atonement!  The  atonement  made  by  the  personal 
sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God  must  be  infinitely  precious; 
believe  thou  that  there  is  efficacy  enough  in  it  for  thee. 
It  is  thy  safety  to  ffy  to  that  atonement  and  cling  to  the 
cross  of  Christ,  and  thou  wilt  honor  God  by  so  doing. 
It  is  the  only  way  in  which  thou  canst  honor  Him. 
Thou  canst  honor  Him  by  believing  that  He  can  save 
thee,  even  thee.  The  truest  faith  is  that  which  believes 
in  the  mercy  of  God  in  the  teeth  of  conscious  unworthi- 
ness. The  penitent  in  the  parable  went  to  his  father 
too  unworthy  to  be  called  his  son,  and  yet  he  said,  “ My 
father.”  Faith  has  a way  of  seeing  the  blackness  of  sin, 
and  yet  believing  that  God  can  make  the  soul  as  white 
as  snow.  It  is  not  faith  that  says,  ‘‘  I am  a little  sinner, 
and  therefore  God  can  forgive  me”;  but  that  is  faith 
which  cries,  ^'I  am  a great  sinner,  an  accursed  and 
condemned  sinner,  and  yet,  for  all  that,  God’s  infinite 
mercy  can  forgive  me,  and  the  blood  of  Christ  can  make 
me  clean.” 

Believe  in  the  teeth  of  thy  feelings,  and  in  spite  of 
thy  conscience.  Believe  in  God,  though  everything 
within  thee  seems  to  say,  He  cannot  save  thee.  He 
will  not  save  thee.”  Believe  in  God,  sinner,  over  the 
tops  of  mountain  sins.  Do  as  John  Bunyan  says  he  did, 
for  he  was  so  afraid  of  his  sins  and  of  the  punishment 
thereof,  that  he  could  not  but  run  into  God’s  arms,  and 
he  said, 

“ Though  He  had  held  a drawn  sword  in  His  hands,  I 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


107 


would  have  run  on  the  very  point  of  it  rather  than  have 
kept  away  from  Him.”  So  do  thou,  poor  sinner. 

Believe  thy  God.  Believe  in  nothing  else,  but  trust 
thy  God,  and  thou  wilt  get  the  blessing. 

It  is  wonderful  the  power  of  faith  over  God.  It  binds 
His  justice  and  constrains  His  grace.  I do  not  know 
how  to  illustrate  it  better  than  by  a little  story.  When 
I walked  down  my  garden  some  time  ago  I found  a dog 
amusing  himself  among  the  flowers.  I knew  that  he 
was  not  a good  gardener,  and  no  dog  of  mine,  so  I threw 
a stick  at  him  and  bade  him  begone.  After  I had  done 
so,  he  conquered  me,  and  made  me  ashamed  of  having 
spoken  roughly  to  him,  for  he  picked  up  my  stick,  and, 
wagging  his  tail  right  pleasantly,  he  brought  the  stick 
to  me  and  dropped  it  at  my  feet.  Do  you  think  I could 
strike  him  or  drive  him  away  after  that?  No,  I patted 
him  and  called  him  good  names.  The  dog  had  con- 
quered the  man.  And  if  you,  poor  sinner,  dog  as  you 
are,  can  have  confidence  enough  in  God  to  come  to  Him 
just  as  you  are,  it  is  not  in  His  heart  to  spurn  you. 
There  is  an  omnipotence  in  simple  faith  which  will  con- 
quer even  the  divine  Being  Himself.  Only  do  but  trust 
Him  as  He  reveals  Himself  in  Jesus,  and  you  shall  find 
salvation. 

V.  In  the  next  place, 

THIS  ACT  OF  COMING  INTO  CONTACT  WITH  GOD  IS  PER- 
FORMED  BY  THE  SINNER  JUST  AS  HE  IS. 

I do  not  know  how  wretched  the  prodigal’s  appear- 
ance may  have  been,  but  I will  be  bound  to  say  he  had 
grown  none  the  sweeter  by  having  fed  swine,  nor  do  I 


108 


THE  PRODIGAL 


suppose  his  garments  had  been  very  sumptuously  em- 
broidered by  gathering  husks  for  them  from  the  trees. 
Yet,  just  as  he  was,  he  came.  Surely  he  might  have  spent 
an  hour  profitably  in  cleansing  his  flesh  and  his  clothes. 
But  no,  he  said,  I will  arise,”  and  no  sooner  said  than 
done!  he  did  arise,  and  he  came  to  his  father. 

Every  moment  that  a sinner  stops  away  from  God  in 
order  to  get  better  he  is  but  adding  to  his  sin,  for  the 
radical  sin  of  all  is  his  being  away  from  God,  and  the 
longer  he  stays  in  it  the  more  he  sins.  The  attempt  to 
perform  good  works  apart  from  God  is  like  the  eflPort  of 
a thief  to  set  his  stolen  goods  in  order.  His  sole  duty  is 
to  return  them  at  once. 

Moreover,  there  was  nothing  needed  from  the  prodi- 
gal but  to  return  to  his  father.  When  a child  who  has 
done  wrong  comes  back,  the  more  its  face  is  blurred 
with  tears  the  better.  When  a beggar  asks  for  charity, 
the  more  his  clothes  are  in  rags  the  better.  Are  not 
rags  and  sores  the  very  livery  of  beggars?  I once  gave 
a man  a pair  of  shoes  because  he  said  he  was  in  need  of 
them;  but  after  he  had  put  them  on  and  gone  a little 
way  I overtook  him  in  a gateway  taking  them  off  in 
order  to  go  barefooted  again.  I think  they  were  patent 
leather,  and  what  should  a beggar  do  in  such  attire? 
He  was  changing  them  for  old  shoes,  those  that  were 
suitable  to  his  business. 

A sinner  is  never  so  well  arrayed  for  pleading  as  when 
he  comes  in  rags.  At  his  worst,  the  sinner,  for  making 
an  appeal  to  mercy,  is  at  his  best.  And  so,  sinners, 
there  is  no  need  for  you  to  linger;  come  just  as  you  are. 

“But  must  we  not  wait  for  the  Holy  Spirit?” 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


109 


Ah,  beloved,  he  who  is  willing  to  arise  and  go  to  his 
Father  has  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who 
moves  us  to  return  to  God,  and  it  is  the  spirit  of  the 
flesh  or  of  the  devil  that  would  bid  us  wait. 

It  is  the  turning  point  of  a man’s  life  when  he  calls 
on  God  for  forgiveness  and  acceptance,  wherever  it  is 
done,  whether  in  a workshop,  or  in  a saw-mill,  in  a 
church,  or  in  a tabernacle;  it  does  not  matter  where. 
There  is  the  point — the  getting  to  God  in  Christ,  giving 
all  up,  and  by  faith  resting  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

VI.  The  last  point  of  all  is  this: 

THAT  ACT  WROUGHT  THE  GREATEST  CONCEIVABLE  CHANGE 
IN  THE  MAN. 

He  was  a new  man  after  that.  Harlots,  winebibbers, 
you  have  lost  your  old  companion  now!  He  has  gone 
to  his  father,  and  his  father’s  company  and  yours  will 
never  agree.  A man’s  return  to  his  God  means  his 
leaving  the  chambers  of  vice  and  the  tables  of  riot.  You 
may  depend  upon  it,  whenever  you  hear  of  a professing 
Christian  living  in  uncleanness,  he  has  not  been  living 
anywhere  near  his  God.  He  may  have  talked  a great 
deal  about  it,  but  God  and  unchastity  never  agree.  If 
you  have  friendship  with  God,  you  will  have  no  fellow- 
ship with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness. 

Now,  too,  the  penitent  has  done  with  all  degrading 
works  to  support  himself.  You  will  not  find  him  feed- 
ing swine  any  more.  He  has  got  away  from  that  bond- 
age.  No  more  pig-feeding  for  him! 

There  is  a change  in  him  in  all  ways.  Now  he  has 
come  to  his  father  his  pride  is  broken  down.  He  no 
longer  glories  in  that  which  he  calls  his  own;  all  his 


110 


THE  PRODIGAL 


glory  is  in  his  father’s  free  pardoning  love.  He  never 
boasts  of  what  he  has,  for  he  owns  that  he  has  nothing 
but  what  his  father  gives  him;  and  though  he  is  far 
better  ofP  than  ever  he  was  in  his  spendthrift  days,  yet 
he  is  as  unassuming  as  a little  child.  He  is  a gentle- 
man-commoner upon  the  bounty  of  his  God,  and  lives 
from  day  to  day  by  a royal  grant  from  the  table  of  the 
King  of  kings.  Pride  is  gone,  but  content  fills  its  room. 
He  would  have  been  contented  to  be  one  of  the  servants 
of  the  house,  much  more  satisfied  is  he  to  be  a child. 
He  loves  his  father  with  a new  love;  he  cannot  even 
mention  his  name  without  saying: 

And  he  forgave  me,  he  forgave  me  freely,  he  for- 
gave me  all,  and  he  said,  ‘ Bring  forth  the  best  robe  and 
put  it  on  him;  put  a ring  on  his  hand  and  shoes  on  his 
feet.’  ” 

Perhaps  you  are  saying.  May  I now  go  to  God  just 
as  I am,  and  through  Jesus  Christ  yield  myself  up;  and 
will  He  forgive  me?  ” 

Dear  brother,  or  dear  sister,  wherever  you  may  be, 
ti'y  it.  That  is  the  best  thing  to  do:  try  it;  and  if  the 
angels  do  not  set  the  bells  in  heaven  ringing,  God  has 
altered  from  what  He  has  been,  for  I know  He  received 
poor  sinners  in  the  past,  and  He  will  receive  them  now. 

The  worst  thing  I dread  about  you  is,  lest  you  should 
say,  ‘‘  I will  think  of  it.”  DonH  think  of  it.  Do  it! 
Concerning  this  no  more  thinldng  is  needed;  but  to  do 
it.  Get  away  to  God.  Is  it  not  according  to  nature 
that  the  creature  should  be  at  peace  with  its  Creator? 
Is  it  not  according  to  your  conscience?  Is  there  not 
something  within  you  which  cries,  Go  to  God  in 


THE  TURNING  POINT 


111 


Christ  Jesus.”  In  the  case  of  that  poor  prodigal,  the 
famine  said  to  him,  ‘‘Go  home!^^^  Bread  was  dear, 
meat  was  scarce,  he  was  hungry,  and  every  pang  of 
want  said,  “ Go  home!  Go  home!  ” When  he  went 
to  his  old  friend  the  citizen,  and  he  asked  him  for 
help,  his  scowling  looks  said,  “ Why  don’t  you  go 
home?”  There  is  a time  with  sinners  when  even 
their  old  companions  seem  to  say,  “We  do  not  want 
you.  You  are  too  miserable  and  melancholy.  Why 
don’t  you  go  home?”  They  sent  him  to  feed  swine, 
and  the  very  hogs  grunted,  “ Go  home!  ” When  he 
picked  up  those  carob  husks  and  tried  to  eat  them,  they 
crackled,  “ Go  home,^^  He  looked  upon  his  rags,  and  they 
gaped  at  him,  “ Go  home.^^  His  hungry  belly  and  his 
faintness  cried,  “Go  home.^^  Then  he  thought  of  his 
father’s  face,  and  how  kindly  it  had  looked  at  him,  and 
it  seemed  to  say,  “ Come  home!  ” He  remembered  the 
bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  every  morsel  seemed  to 
say,  Come  home!  He  pictured  the  servants  sitting 
down  to  dinner  and  feasting  to  the  full  and  every  one 
of  them  seemed  to  look  right  away  over  the  wilderness  to 
him,  and  to  say  “ Come  home!  Thy  father  feeds  us  well. 
Come  home!  ” Everything  said,  “ Come  home!^^  Only 
the  devil  whispered,  “Never  go  back.  Fight  it  out! 
Better  starve  than  yield!  Die  game!”  But  then  he 
had  got  away  from  the  devil  this  once,  for  he  had  come 
to  himself,  and  he  said: 

“ No;  I will  arise  and  go  to  my  father.” 

Oh  that  you  would  be  equally  wise!  Sinner,  what  is 
the  use  of  being  damned  for  the  sake  of  a little  pride? 
Yield  man!  Down  with  your  pride!  You  will  not  find 


112 


THE  PRODIGAL 


it  SO  hard  to  submit  if  you  remember  that  dear  Father 
who  loved  us  and  gave  Himself  for  us  in  the  person  of 
His  own  dear  Son.  You  will  find  it  sweet  to  yield  to 
such  a friend.  And  when  you  get  your  head  in  His 
bosom,  and  feel  His  warm  kisses  on  your  cheek,  you  will 
soon  feel  that  it  is  sweet  to  weep  for  sin — sweet  to  con- 
fess your  wrong  doing,  and  sweeter  still  to  hear  Him 
say: 

“ I have  blotted  out  thy  sins  like  a cloud,  and  like  a 
thick  cloud  thy  transgressions.”  ‘‘  Though  your  sins  be 
as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow;  though  they 
be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.” 

God  Almighty  grant  this  may  be  the  case  with  hun- 
dreds who  read  this.  He  shall  have  all  the  glory  of  it, 
but  my  heart  shall  be  very  glad,  for  I feel  nothing  but 
the  greatest  conceivable  joy  at  the  thought  of  making 
merry  with  you  by  and  by,  when  you  come  to  own  my 
Lord  and  Master,  and  we  sit  together  at  the  sacramental 
feast,  rejoicing  in  His  love.  God  bless  you,  for  His 
sake.  Amen. 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING 
PRODIGAL 

By  T.  DEWITT  TALMAGE. 

I will  not  here  rehearse  the  familiar  story  of  the  fast 
young  man  of  the  parable.  You  know  what  a splendid 
home  he  left.  You  know  what  a hard  time  he  had.  And 
you  remember  how,  after  that  season  of  vagabondage  and 
prodigality,  he  resolved  to  go  and  weep  out  his  sorrows 
on  the  bosom  of  parental  forgiveness. 

Well,  there  is  great  excitement  one  day  in  front  of  the 
door  of  the  old  farm-house.  The  servants  come  rushing 
up,  and  say: 

‘‘  What’s  the  matter?  What  is  the  matter?  ” 

But  before  they  quite  arrive,  the  old  man  cries  out: 

‘‘Put  a ring  on  his  hand.” 

What  a seeming  absurdity!  What  can  such  a wretch- 
ed mendicant  as  this  fellow  that  is  tramping  on  toward 
the  house  want  with  a ring?  Oh,  he  is  the  prodigal  son! 
No  more  tending  of  the  swine4rough.  No  more  longing 
for  the  pods  of  the  carob  tree.  No  more  blistered  feet. 
0£E  with  the  rags!  On  with  the  robe!  Out  with  the 
ring!  Even  so  does  God  receive  every  one  of  us  when 
we  come  back. 

There  are  gold  rings,  and  pearl  rings,  and  emerald 
rings,  and  diamond  rings;  but  the  richest  ring  that  ever 

113 


lU 


THE  PRODIGAL 


flashed  on  the  vision  is  that  which  our  Father  puts  upon 
a forgiven  soul. 

I know  that  the  impression  is  abroad  among  some  peo- 
ple that  religion  bemeans  and  belittles  a man;  that  it 
takes  all  the  sparkle  out  of  his  soul;  that  he  has  to  ex- 
change a roistering  independence  for  an  ecclesiastical 
strait-jacket.  Not  so.  When  a man  becomes  a Chris- 
tian, he  does  not  go  down,  he  starts  upward.  Religion 
multiplies  one  by  ten  thousand.  Nay,  the  multiplier  is 
infinity.  It  is  not  a blotting  out — it  is  a polishing,  it 
is  an  arborescence,  it  is  an  efflorescence,  it  is  an  irradia- 
tion. When  a man  comes  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  he 
is  not  sent  into  a menial  service,  but  the  Lord  God  Al- 
mighty from  the  palaces  of  heaven  calls  upon  the  mes- 
senger angels  that  wait  upon  the  throne  to  fly  and  “ put 
a ring  on  his  hand.”  In  Christ  are  the  largest  liberty, 
and  brightest  joy,  and  highest  honor,  and  richest  adorn- 
ment. Put  a ring  on  his  hand.” 

I remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  when  Christ  receives 
a soul  into  His  love.  He  puts  upon  him 
THE  KING  OF  HIS  ADOPTION. 

While  in  my  church  in  Philadelphia,  there  came  the 
representative  of  the  Howard  Mission  of  New  York.  He 
brought  with  him  eight  or  ten  children  of  the  street  that  he 
had  picked  up,  and  he  was  trying  to  find  for  them  Chris- 
tian homes,  and  as  the  little  ones  stood  on  the  pulpit 
and  sang,  our  hearts  melted  within  us. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  a greathearted  wealthy 
man  came  up  and  said, 

“I’ll  take  this  little  bright-eyed  girl,  and  I’ll  adopt 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL 


115 


her  as  one  of  my  own  children  and  he  took  her  by  the 
hand,  lifted  her  into  his  carriage,  and  went  away. 

The  next  day,  while  we  were  in  the  church  gathering 
up  garments  for  the  poor  of  Nev/  York,  this  little  child 
came  back  with  a bundle  under  her  arm,  and  she  said. 
There’s  my  old  dress.  Perhaps  some  of  the  poor 
children  would  like  to  have  it.” 

She  herself  was  in  bright  and  beautiful  array,  and 
those  who  more  immediately  examined  her  said  she  had 
a ring  on  her  hand:  It  was  the  ring  of  adoption. 

There  are  a great  many  persons  who  pride  themselves 
on  their  ancestry,  and  they  glory  over  the  royal  blood 
that  pours  through  tlieir  arteries.  In  their  line  there 
was  a lord,  or  a duke,  or  a prime  minister,  or  a king. 
But  when  the  Lord,  our  Father,  puts  upon  us  the  ring 
of  His  adoption,  we  become  children  of  the  Ruler  of  all 
nations.  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath 
bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of 
God.”  It  matters  not  how  poor  our  garments  may  be  in 
this  world,  or  how  scant  our  bread,  or  how  mean  the  hut 
we  live  in;  if  we  have  the  ring  of  Christ’s  adoption 
upon  our  hand  we  are  assured  of  eternal  defences. 

Adopted!  Why,  then,  we  are  brothers  and  sisters  to 
all  the  good  of  earth  and  heaven.  We  have  the  family 
name,  the  family  dress,  the  family  keys,  the  family 
wardrobe.  The  father  looks  after  us,  robes  us,  defends 
us,  blesses  us.  We  have  royal  blood  in  our  veins,  and 
there  are  crowns  in  our  line.  If  we  are  His  children, 
then  princes  and  princesses.  It  is  only  a question  of 
time  when  we  get  our  coronet. 


116 


THE  PRODIGAL 


Adopted!  Then  we  have  the  family  secrets.  ‘‘The 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him.” 

Adopted!  Then  we  have  the  family  inheritance,  and 
in  the  day  when  our  Father  shall  divide  the  riches  of 
heaven,  we  shall  take  our  share  of  the  mansions  and 
palaces  and  temples. 

Henceforth  let  us  boast  no  more  of  an  earthly  ances- 
try. The  insignia  of  eternal  glory  is  our  coat  of  arms. 
This  ring  of  adoption  puts  upon  us  all  honor  and  all 
privilege.  Now  we  can  take  the  words  of  Charles  Wes- 
ley, that  prince  of  hymn^makers,  and  sing: 

Come,  let  us  join  our  friends  above, 

Who  have  obtained  the  prize. 

And  on  the  eagle  wings  of  love 
To  joy  celestial  rise. 

Let  all  the  saints  terrestrial  sing 
With  those  to  glory  gone; 

For  all  the  servants  of  our'King, 

In  heaven  and  earth  are  one. 

I have  been  told  that  when  any  of  the  members  of 
any  of  the  great  secret  societies  of  this  country  are  in  a 
distant  city,  and  are  in  any  kind  of  trouble,  and  are  set 
upon  by  enemies,  they  have  only  to  give  a certain  sig- 
nal, and  the  members  of  that  organization  will  flock 
around  for  defence.  And  when  any  man  belongs  to 
this  great  Christian  brotherhood,  if  he  gets  into  trouble, 
into  trial,  into  persecution,  into  temptation,  he  has  only 
to  show  this  ring  of  Christ’s  adoption,  and  all  the  armed 
cohorts  of  heaven  will  come  to  his  rescue. 

Still  further,  when  Christ  takes  a soul  into  His  love 
He  puts  upon  it 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL 


117 


A MAKRIAGE^KING. 

Now,  that  is  not  a whim  of  mine.  ‘‘  I will  betroth 
thee  unto  me  forever;  yea,  I will  betroth  thee  unto  me 
in  righteousness,  and  in  judgment,  and  in  loving  kind- 
ness, and  in  mercies.”  (Hosea  2:  19.) 

At  the  wedding  altar  the  bridegroom,  puts  a ring  upon 
the  hand  of  the  bride,  signifying  love  and  faithfulness. 
Trouble  may  come  upon  the  household,  and  the  carpets 
may  go,  the  pictures  may  go,  the  piano  may  go,  every- 
thing else  may  go — the  last  thing  that  goes  is  the  mar- 
riage^ring,  for  it  is  considered  sacred. 

In  the  burial  hour  it  is  withdrawn  from  the  hand  and 
kept  in  a casket,  and  sometimes  the  box  is  opened  on  an 
anniversary  day,  and  as  you  look  at  that  ring  you  see 
under  its  arch  a long  procession  of  precious  memories. 
Within  the  golden  circle  of  that  ring  there  is  room  for  a 
thousand  sweet  recollections  to  revolve,  and  you  think 
of  the  great  contrast  between  the  hour  when,  at  the 
close  of  the  “Wedding  March,”  under  the  flashing 
lights  and  amid  the  aroma  of  orange  blossoms,  you  set 
that  ring  on  the  round  finger  of  the  plump  hand,  and 
that  hour  when,  at  the  close  of  the  exclusive  watching, 
when  you  knew  that  the  soul  had  fled,  you  took  from 
the  hand,  which  gave  back  no  responsive  clasp,  from 
that  emaciated  finger,  the  ring  that  she  had  worn  so 
long  and  worn  so  well. 

On  some  anniversary  day  you  take  up  that  ring,  and 
you  repolish  it  until  all  the  old  lustre  comes  back,  and 
you  can  see  in  it  the  flash  of  eyes  that  long  ago  ceased 
to  weep. 

Oh!  it  is  not  an  unmeaning  thing  when  I tell  you 


118 


THE  PRODIGAL 


that  when  Christ  receives  your  soul  into  His  keeping, 
He  puts  on  it  a marriage-ring.  He  endows  you  from  that 
moment  with  all  His  wealth.  You  are  one — Christ  and 
the  soul — one  in  sympathy,  one  in  affection,  one  in  hope. 
There  is  no  power  on  earth  or  hell  to  effect  a divorce- 
ment after  Christ  and  the  soul  are  united.  Other  kings 
have  turned  out  their  companions  when  they  got  weary 
of  them,  and  sent  them  adrift  from  the  palace  gate. 
Ahasuerus  banished  Vashti;  Napoleon  forsook  Joseph- 
ine; but  Christ  is  the  husband  that  is  true  forever. 
Having  loved  you  once,  He  loves  you  to  the  end.  Did 
they  not  try  to  divorce  Margaret,  the  Scotch  girl,  from 
Jesus?  They  said: 

You  must  give  up  your  religion.” 

She  said:  I can’t  give  up  my  religion,” 

And  so  they  took  her  down  to  the  beach  of  the  sea, 
and  they  drove  in  a stake  at  low  water  mark,  and  they 
fastened  her  to  it,  expecting  that  as  the  tide  came  up 
her  faith  would  fail.  The  tide  began  to  rise,  and  came 
up  higher  and  higher,  and  to  the  girdle,  and  to  the  lip, 
and  in  the  last  moment,  just  as  the  waves  vrere  washing 
her  soul  into  glory,  she  shouted  the  praises  of  Jesus. 

Oh,  no,  you  cannot  separate  a soul  from  Christ!  It  is 
an  everlasting  marriage.  Battle  and  storm  and  dark- 
ness cannot  do  it.  Is  it  too  much  exultation  for  a man, 
who  is  but  dust  and  ashes  like  myself,  to  cry  out  this 
moment:  I am  persuaded  that  neither  lieight,  nor 

depth,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present, 
nor  things  to  come,  nor  any  other  creature  shall  sepa- 
rate me  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
my  Lord  ”?  Glory  be  to  God  that  when  Christ  and  the 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL 


119 


soul  are  married  they  are  bound  by  a chain — a golden 
chain — if  I might  say  so — a chain  with  one  link,  and 
that  one  link  the  golden  ring  of  God’s  everlasting  love! 

I go  a step  further,  and  tell  you  that  when  Christ  re- 
ceives a soul  into  His  love  He  puts  on  him 
THE  KING  OF  FESTIVITY. 

You  know  that  it  has  been  the  custom  in  all  ages  to 
bestow  rings  on  very  happy  occasions.  There  is  noth- 
ing more  appropriate  for  a birthday  gift  than  a ring. 
You  delight  to  bestow  such  a gift  upon  your  children  at 
such  a time.  It  means  joy,  hilarity,  festivity. 

Well,  when  this  old  man  of  the  story  wanted  to  tell 
how  glad  he  was  that  his  boy  had  got  back,  he  expressed 
it  in  this  way.  Actually,  before  he  ordered  sandals  to 
be  put  on  his  bare  feet,  before  he  ordered  the  fatted 
calf  to  be  killed  to  appease  the  boy’s  hunger,  he  com- 
manded: 

‘‘Put  a ring  on  his  hand.” 

Oh,  it  i&  a merry  time  when  Christ  and  the  soul  are 
united!  What  a splendid  thing  it  is  to  feel  that  all  is 
right  between  my  God  and  myself!  What  a glorious 
thing  it  is  to  have  God  just  take  up  all  the  sins  of  my 
life,  and  put  them  in  one  bundle,  and  then  fling  them 
into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  never  to  rise  again,  never  to 
be  talked  of  again!  Pollution  all  gone.  Darkness  all 
illumined.  God  reconciled.  The  prodigal  home. 
“ Put  a ring  on  his  hand.” 

Every  day  I And  happy  Christian  people.  I And 
some  of  them  with  no  second  coat,  some  of  them  in  huts 
and  tenement  houses,  not  one  earthly  comfort  afforded 
them;  and  yet  they  are  as  happy  as  happy  can  be. 


120 


THE  PRODIGAL 


They  sing  ‘‘  Kock  of  Ages  ” as  no  other  people  in  the 
world  sing  it.  They  never  wore  any  jewelry  in  their 
life  but  one  gold  ring,  and  that  was  the  ring  of  God’s 
undying  affection.  Oh,  how  happy  religion  makes  us! 
Did  it  make  you  gloomy  and  sad?  Did  you  go  with 
your  head  cast  down?  I do  not  think  you  got  religion, 
my  brother.  That  is  not  the  effect  of  religion.  True 
religion  is  a joy.  “ Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  are  peace.” 

Keligion  lightens  all  our  burdens.  It  smooths  all  our 
way.  It  interprets  all  our  sorrows.  It  changes  the  jar 
of  earthly  discord  for  the  peal  of  festal  bells.  In  front 
of  the  flaming  furnace  of  trial  it  sets  the  forge  on  which 
sceptres  are  hammered  out.  Would  you  not  like  this 
hour  to  come  up  from  the  swine-feeding  and  try  this  re- 
ligion? All  the  joys  of  heaven  would  come  out  and 
meet  you,  and  God  would  cry  from  the  throne:  ‘‘  Put  a 
ring  on  his  hand.” 

You  are  not  happy.  There  is  no  peace,  and  some- 
times you  laugh  when  you  feel  a great  deal  more  like 
crying.  The  world  is  a cheat.  It  first  wears  you  down 
with  its  follies,  then  it  kicks  you  out  into  darkness.  It 
comes  back  from  the  massacre  of  a million  souls  to  at- 
tempt the  destruction  of  your  soul  to-day.  No  peace 
out  of  God,  but  here  is  the  fountain  that  can  slake  the 
thirst.  Here  is  the  harbor  where  you  can  drop  safe 
anchorage. 

Would  you  not  like,  I ask  you — not  perfunctorily,  but 
as  one  brother  might  talk  to  another — would  you  not  like 
to  have  a pillow  of  rest  to  put  your  head  on?  And  would 
you  not  like,  when  you  retire  at  night,  to  feel  that  all  is 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL 


121 


well,  whether  you  wake  up  to-morrow  morning  at  six 
o’clock,  or  sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking?  Would 
you  not  like  to  exchange  this  awful  uncertainty  about  the 
future  for  a glorious  assurance  of  heaven?  Accept  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  now,  and  all  is  well.  If  some  peril  should 
cross  the  street  and  dash  your  life  out  it  would  not  hurt 
you.  You  would  rise  up  immediately.  You  would  stand 
in  the  celestial  streets.  You  would  be  amid  the  great 
throng  that  forever  worship  and  are  forever  happy.  If 
this  night  some  sudden  disease  should  come  upon  you, 
it  would  not  frighten  you.  If  you  knew  you  were  go- 
ing, you  could  give  a calm  farewell  to  your  beautiful 
home  on  earth,  and  know  that  you  are  going  right  into 
the  companionship  of  those  who  have  already  got  be- 
yond the  toiling  and  the  weeping. 

You  feel  on  Saturday  night  different  from  the  way 
you  feel  any  other  night  of  the  week.  You  come  home 
from  the  bank,  or  the  store,  or  the  office,  and  you  say: 

“ Well,  now  my  week’s  work  is  done,  and  to-morrow  is 
Sunday.” 

It  is  a pleasant  thought.  There  is  refreshment  and  re- 
construction in  the  very  idea.  Oh,  how  pleasant  it  will 
be  if,  when  we  get  through  the  day  of  our  life,  and  we 
go  and  lie  down  in  our  bed  of  dust,  we  can  realize: 

‘‘ Well,  now  the  work  is  all  done,  and  to-morrow  is 
Sunday — an  everlasting  Sunday.” 

Oh,  when,  thou  city  of  my  God, 

Shall  I thy  courts  ascend, 

V/^here  congregations  ne’er  break  up, 

And  Sabbaths  have  no  end? 

Some  who  are  very  near  the  eternal  world  will  read 


122 


THE  PRODIGAL 


this.  If  you  are  Christians  I bid  you  be  of  good  cheer. 
Bear  with  you  our  congratulations  to  the  bright  city. 
Aged  men,  who  will  soon  be  gone,  take  with  you  our  love 
for  our  kindred  in  the  better  land,  and  when  you  see 
them,  tell  them  we  are  soon  coming.  Only  a few  more 
sermons  to  preach  and  hear.  Only  a few  more  heart- 
aches. Only  a few  more  toils.  Only  a few  more  tears. 
And  then — what  an  entrancing  spectacle  will  open  be- 
fore us! 

Beautiful  heaven,  where  all  is  light, 

Beautiful  angels,  clothed  in  white, 

Beautiful  strains  that  never  tire, 

Beautiful  harps  through  all  the  choir, 

There  shall  I join  the  chorus  sweet. 

Worshiping  at  the  Savior’s  feet. 

And  so  I approach  you  now  with  a general  invitation, 
not  picking  out  here  and  there  a man,  or  here  and  there 
a woman,  or  here  and  there  a child;  but  giving  you  an 
unlimited  invitation,  saying: 

‘‘Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready.” 

We  invite  you  to  the  warm  heart  of  Christ,  and  the 
inclosure  of  the  Christian  church.  I know  a great  many 
think  that  the  church  does  not  amount  to  much — that  it 
is  obsolete,  that  it  did  its  work  and  is  gone  now,  so  far 
as  all  usefulness  is  concerned.  It  is  the  happiest  place 
I have  ever  been  in  except  my  own  home. 

I know  there  are  some  people  who  say  they  are  Chris- 
tians who  seem  to  get  along  without  any  help  from  others, 
and  who  culture  solitary  piety.  They  do  not  want  any 
ordinances.  I do  not  belong  to  that  class.  I cannot  get 
along  without  them.  There  are  so  many  things  in  this 
world  that  take  my  attention  from  God,  and  Christ,  and 


THE  RING  FOR  THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL 


123 


heaven,  that  I want  all  the  helps  of  all  the  symbols  and 
of  all  the  Christian  associations;  and  I want  around  about 
me  a solid  phalanx  of  men  who  love  God  and  keep  His 
commandments.  Reader,  would  you  not  like  to  enter 
into  that  association?  Then  by  a simple,  child  like  faith, 
apply  for  admission  into  the  visible  church,  and  you  will 
be  received.  No  questions  asked  about  your  past  history 
or  present  surroundings.  Only  one  test — do  you  love 
Jesus? 

Some  have  been  thinking  on  this  subject  year  after 
year.  They  have  found  out  that  this  world  is  a poor 
portion.  They  want  to  be  Christians.  They  have  come 
almost  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ; but  there  they  stop, 
forgetful  of  the  fact  that  to  be  almost  saved  is  not  to  be 
saved  at  all.  Oh,  my  brother,  after  having  come  so  near 
to  the  door  of  mercy,  if  you  turn  back,  you  will  never 
come  at  all!  After  all  you  have  heard  of  the  goodness  of 
God,  if  you  turn  away  and  die,  it  will  not  be  because  you 
did  not  have  a good  offer. 

God’s  spirit  will  not  always  strive 
With  hardened  selMestroying  man; 

Ye  who  persist  His  love  to  grieve 
May  never  hear  His  voice  again. 

May  God  Almighty  this  moment  move  upon  your  soul 
and  bring  you  back  from  the  husks  of  the  wilderness  to 
the  Father’s  house,  and  set  you  at  the  banquet,  and  ‘‘put 
a ring  on  your  hand.” 


BEAUTIFUL  SNOW, 


O,  the  snow,  the  beautiful  snow! 

Filling  the  sky  and  the  earth  below; 

Over  the  housetops,  over  the  street, 

Over  the  heads  of  the  people  you  meet, 
Dancing,  flirting,  skipping  along. 

Beautiful  snow!  it  can  do  no  wrong, 

Flying  to  kiss  a fair  lady’s  cheek. 

Clinging  to  lips  in  a frolicsome  freak — 
Beautiful  snow  from  the  heavens  above, 
Pure  as  an  angel,  gentle  as  love! 

0,  the  snow,  the  beautiful  snow! 

How  the  flakes  gather,  and  laugh  as  they  go 
Whirling  about  in  their  maddening  fun. 

It  plays  in  its  glee  with  every  one. 

Chasing,  laughing,  hurrying  by, 

It  lights  on  the  face,  and  it  sparkles  the  eye; 
And  playful  dogs  with  a bark  and  a bound 
Snap  at  the  crystals  that  eddy  around. 

The  town  is  alive,  and  its  heart  is  aglow 
To  welcome  the  coming  of  beautiful  snow. 


How  wildly  the  crowd  goes  swaying  along, 
Hailing  each  other  with  humor  and  song! 
How  the  gay  sleds  like  meteors  flash  by. 
Bright  for  the  moment,  then  lost  to  the  eye! 
Ringing,  swinging,  dashing  they  go 
Over  the  crust  of  the  beautiful  snow — 

Snow  so  pure,  when  it  falls  from  the  sky, 

As  to  make  one  regret  to  see  it  lie 
124 


BEAUTIFUL  SNOW.  A POEM 


125 


To  be  trampled  and  tracked  by  the  thousand  feet, 
Till  it  blends  with  the  filth  in  the  horrible  street. 

Once  I was  pure  as  the  snow,  but  I fell — 

Fell  like  the  snowflakes  from  heaven  to  hell; 

Fell  to  be  trampled  as  filth  in  the  street; 

Fell  to  be  scoffed,  to  be  spit  on,  and  beat; 
Pleading,  cursing,  dreading  to  die; 

Selling  my  soul  to  whoever  would  buy; 

Dealing  in  shame  for  a morsel  of  bread; 

Hating  the  living,  and  fearing  the  dead — 
Merciful  God!  Have  I fallen  so  low? 

And  yet  I was  once  like  the  beautiful  snow. 


Once  I was  fair  as  the  beautiful  snow, 

With  an  eye  like  its  crystal,  and  heart  like  its  glow. 
Once  I was  loved  for  my  innocent  grace. 

Flattered  and  sought  for  the  charms  of  the  face. 
Father,  mother,  sister,  all, 

God  and  myself  I have  lost  by  my  fall! 

The  veriest  wretch  that  goes  shivering  by 
Will  make  a wide  sweep  lest  I wander  too  nigh 
For  all  that  is  on  or  above  me  I know 
There’s  nothing  as  pure  as  the  beautiful  snow. 

How  strange  it  should  be  that  this  beautiful  snow 
Should  fall  on  a sinner  with  nowhere  to  go! 

How  strange  it  would  be,  when  night  comes  again, 
If  the  snow  and  the  ice  struck  my  desperate  brain! 
Fainting,  freezing,  dying  alone. 

Too  wicked  for  prayer,  too  weak  for  a moan 
To  be  heard  in  the  streets  of  the  crazy  town, 

Gone  mad  in  the  joy  of  the  snow  coming  down; 

To  be  and  to  die  in  my  terrible  woe, 

With  a bed  and  a shroud  of  the  beautiful  snow. 

« 

Helpless  and  foul  as  the  trampled  snow. 

Sinner  despair  not!  Christ  stoopeth  low 


126 


THE  PRODIGAL 


To  rescue  the  soul  that  is  lost  in  its  sin, 

And  raise  it  to  life  and  enjoyment  again. 
Groaning,  bleeding,  dying  for  thee, 

The  Crucified  hung  on  the  ’cursed  tree. 

His  accents  of  mercy  fall  soft  on  thine  ear. 

Is  there  mercy  for  me?  Will  He  heed  my  prayer? 
O God,  in  the  stream  that  for  sinners  did  flow, 
Wash  me,  and  I shall  be  whiter  than  snow! 


— Authors  name  unknown. 


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